Scan barcode
ucancallmejayyy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide, Death, Eating disorder, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Dementia, Physical abuse, Violence, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Eating disorder, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Rape, Sexual violence, Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Blood, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Cursing
thespinystacks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Blood and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, Death, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, and Drug use
deshanejt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Medical content, Medical trauma, Grief, and Gun violence
Moderate: Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, and Self harm
Minor: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Sexism, Addiction, Pregnancy, and Drug use
tifftastic87's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Naomi, Liv and Cass have been friends since they were five and Cass decided they would all be friends. The summer when they were all eleven everything changed with Naomi near fatally stabbed and her and her friends putting away the serial killer that did it. The story jumps forward to Naomi, now 33, still dealing with her trauma and returning to her home town and her friends. We unpeel the layers slowly and go back in time to relive that summer and experience what really happened through Naomi's eyes. Small town drama, PTSD, and lies stacking on lies shape the tale we experience.
Without spoilers this was the most twists in a book I have experienced in a while. I thought I knew what was happening and then I thought I was wrong and then I thought I was right again and then it turned out I was half right. I hit a point where I would have died or killed for Naomi. The story was constantly moving to the next plot point but still giving us a full feel of the characters involved. It was a perfect balance that I really enjoyed.
Trauma and PTSD were handled really well and with care. I appreciated how themes were discussed in a way that wasn't self-indulgent or just straight up trauma porn, actually Marshall seemed to call out authors who are solely focused on that through the use of Naomi's boyfriend in the beginning. We get this sentence, among others about him, that allowed me to instantly know who he was.
The trouble was he’d mistaken drama for virtue and suffering for art, and felt impoverished by his own good fortune.
He, Mitch, spends his spare time writing stories using Naomi's trauma as the center of the story. He is convinced she needs to use her trauma to sell her art instead of photographing weddings and this results in some pretty heated arguments. She says he was an asshole, she knew he was an asshole and so did he. But she was only comfortable dating assholes, someone she could never attach to - been there girl. But when she goes home to gather her things in the middle of the book there is a scene that reveals his true nature, and some of hers.
What the hell just happened? I should have just fucked him so he could feel like he was helping.
When she doesn't allow him to sleep with her, he kind of loses it and kicks her out. After he promised her he wouldn't try anything. So, he's also that kind of asshole. One of the best parts, for me, was her overcoming these choices. She never shies away from it being why she does it:
Every man I’d slept with had been a mistake of one kind or another. The mistake was the point. You couldn’t let someone in without it breaking you, but you could choose the way you broke.
But she seems finally ready to move on from that. It just kind of made the story for me. We got so much of the character development inside this twisted story where you never know who is good and who is bad and the main character herself is morally gray and unreliable.
Hard recommend, but check the content warnings first.
Some more thoughts on little girls being absolutely feral forest goblins: https://youtu.be/AMY_324xjfQ?si=d5ABP_BHxWypgJOs
Graphic: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcoholism, Death, Self harm, Violence, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Stalking, Murder, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Blood, Classism, Gore, and Gun violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Bullying, Medical trauma, and Sexual content
Minor: Rape, Biphobia, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Vomit, Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Drug use
edgaranjapoe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Toxic friendship, Death, Blood, Mental illness, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Addiction, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Minor: Child abuse, Abandonment, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Sexism, Death of parent, Cursing, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt