Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

The Last Word by Taylor Adams

52 reviews

emharris's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child death, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Confinement, Car accident, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

thesonnetsilence's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• 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

3.75

I typically don't read thrillers, but I was happy I picked this one up. I couldn't put it down! I feel H.G. Kane was a refreshing and unique antagonist, and he was unlike anything I expected going into this book. I also think the emphasis on grief was very powerful, and I shed quite a few tears toward the end. There were twists and turns, and although I  did predict a couple of the major plot points, how we got there was filled with twists and turns that I wasn't expecting! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Infertility, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

Minor: Fatphobia and Mass/school shootings

horizonous's review against another edition

The dog kind of talks.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Mental illness, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcoholism and Death of parent

◦ Mental illness = Depression

kunthearelinski's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Mass/school shootings, Stalking, Car accident, and Murder

vj_thompson's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The writing. The plot twists. I loved every moment of the story. My heart was racing the whole time!! I can’t wait to read more of Taylor Adams’ books. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Gore, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Death, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Infertility, Blood, and Car accident

Minor: Bullying, Mass/school shootings, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

cc_shelflove's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

We’ve all been there. A book that is soooooo fucking bad we can’t believe we actually finished it. We post our one-star rage reviews and we move along to the next, hopefully better, book. But what if the authors we hurt on the internet chose to seek revenge? This is what happens to Emma Carpenter. The Last Word’s pages are filled with darkness and horror. Unfortunately, like Adams’s Hairpin Bridge, this was a miss for me. I’m sorry, Taylor!!! Don’t come for me!! I have to be honest with my followers, and the fact is this—at times I was so bored of this book, I really didn’t care if the main character lived or died. I truly couldn’t wait to finish it so I could start another book. ☹️ I really loved the last chapter, though! I promise that I don’t think Taylor Adams is a bad author by any means, but based on his last two books I simply don’t think he is the author for me. Read for yourself and be the judge because as you know, our tastes can vary immensely from book to book. Reading is fun! 🤪

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Infertility, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Mass/school shootings

toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Yoooo this was such an out of pocket thriller. Once I got into it I was properly hooked. Something is keeping me from giving it 5 stars but to say anything about it would be too spoiler-y. It was pretty solid though and came with the "holy shit" moments that I expect from Taylor Adams after reading No Exit years ago.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

briangevine's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child death, Gore, Infertility, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Abandonment

lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I selected this title as a Book of the Month pick.
"The Last Word" is a fast-paced thriller that follows Emma Carpenter and her golden retriever, Laika, as Emma house sits for a woman named Jules in a beachfront property. With nothing else to do, Emma spends her days reading, and after she posts a negative review of a book, she feels like she is being stalked by the author. Can her and Laika make it through the night alive, or will she become just like the victims in the author's gruesome horror novels?
In true Taylor Adams fashion, this book is graphic, gruesome, and really made me uncomfortable at times. I was so anxious throughout my reading experience because I kept waiting for something to happen to Laika and I was distraught. My anxiety hindered my enjoyment of the novel because I CANNOT read about an animal dying, and I was so worried the whole time.
Emma is a complex character, and I enjoyed reading from her perspective most of the time. Some of her rationale felt a little too convenient to propel the story forward, but I really enjoyed uncovering why she was running away from her life. I also adored her love for Laika. She did everything to save her dog, and I loved seeing their interactions together.
The big twist of who Kane, the author turned stalker, was turned out kind of interesting, but I also felt like I saw it coming.
My favorite aspect of this novel is that Taylor Adams presented this timely discourse about whether an author should be on review platforms. On the one hand, an author could use reviews to help them better hone their craft and listen to what their readers want from them in the future. On the other hand, a review platform is supposed to be safe place for readers to share their thoughts. I really enjoyed seeing this idea manipulated into a story.
Taylor Adams is definitely talented at what he does, and I will continue to pick him up in the future! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

cyndi1966's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Infertility, Stalking, Car accident, and Murder

Minor: Child death