Reviews with content warning for Drug abuse - Haunting Adeline

I thought this book was so interesting I ain’t gonna lie. At first I was a bit shocked and taken aback by how graphic it was but it made the book a whole just a great thriller! Was sooo hard to put down. Absolutely loved it !! Cant wait to start book 2 !!

Content Warnings

nidhzinwonderland's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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? It's complicated

2.75

Okay so I have a lot to say so buckle up,
I dnf'd this book twice so this is my third attempt reading it and was it worth it? Yes and No
Why did I dnf it?
I dnf'd this book because despite all the trigger warning I still did not find it in me to be okay with the inconsensual shit and the stalking. I think overall I just felt kinda disgusted and like not okay with it one bit. And I still feel the same about the stalking. It is and will always be unacceptable regardless of the fact that Zade Meadows is this dark super cool superhero that's saving children from traficking. So, because of the fact that I was soo not okay with what was going on I dnf'd it; TWICE!!

What made me pick it up again?
I ain't one bit proud of this but Tik tok made me do it. It is all over frickin book tok and everyone else just seems to love it. So that was the major reason I picked it up again but the other one is that I'm practiclly incapable of leaving a book unfinished. It continuously bugs me and even f I don't like it one bit I'm stll spending all my mental energy wondering what exactly the plot might've been.
So curiousity + booktok = Terrible life choices

My final thoughts about the book:
Well am I suddenly okay with all the shit Zade did? NO. But was the book all bad, NO. One of the things that made this book enjoyable was the parallel plotline of Gigi's murder. I absolutely loved the phsycological impact it had on Addie cuz it helped establish an inner conflict about this stalker [whom she firmly believed to be her great grand mother] and what it could mean for her to live in the same house and watch history repeat itself.
Another hing I liked or rather I thoght brought a meaning to the plotline was the whole human traficking and child abuse aspect. Personally speaking I don't read romance because I find it lacking and find myself getting bored with just two charecters trying to figure out their lives. But, this book had so much mystery to it and kept us on our toes while unraveling the dirty secrets of the underground and the governments involvement. Overall, I think it just brought to light a very underdiscussed and taboo topic which is such a huge scary part pf this world.
Coming to the charecters, Addie was an okay charecter. She reacted like any normal prerson and though most people would probably find her excitement for fear to be kinda phsycotic, I relate to, maybe not to that great of an extent but haunted houses and horror films have always been a favourite. Zade was a charecter I have veryyyy conflicting feelings about and I think thats what he was from the very start. Yes he was messed up on so many levels but unlike Colleen Hoover's books it was acknowledged, and accepted as wrong. He is man of morals and though when it comes to Addie he pisses me off he comes close to swoon- worthy a couple of times.

Overall, though plot and mystery was a plus to this book it would've made for a much more pleasent experience if the romance was handled differently. But it is what it is and thats a reason I'll never be able to like Zade Meadows completely.
Nidhi <3

Content Warnings

threeundertwopnw's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

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

2.0

Rape isn't sexy.

I've read a lot of dark books but this was just too misogynistic even for me. I'm not going to bother to read the sequel - it's fine with me if they're both dead.

The secondary plot of her great-grandmother's murder was incredibly boring and a waste of time. I couldn't even begin to care about it.

The bad grammar just added to my disgust with this book. I wouldn't recommend this to anybody.

Content Warnings

meggytheetherealgoddess's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

sunray_sunburn's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I am ASHAMED to have enjoyed this book as much as I did. I will have to answer for my sins later, but for now I will give you my review of this dark dark dark (did I mention this is very dark) book.

I will not recommend this book openly to anyone. Please please please know what you are getting into. Read the trigger warnings and then read them again. I have not read anything so graphic in the gore and rape as is in this book. It was not the best writing in the world, but it did scratch an itch - that I am very ashamed to have - and I couldn't put it down (unless I couldn't stomach it anymore for the day). The last 10% is very triggering and you should be of sound mind to get through it.

The romance/smut aspect of this book: the smut is very good (oh god I really am going to hell). My dear dear cousin summed it up beautifully, "if you have ever had a rape fantasy, then you will like this book." I feel like that is a great warning for the spice in this book. THE GUN SCENE!!! Don't read or listen to this in public because damn, I thought I had a good smut in public poker face but I was proved so wrong.

Now I have to decide if I will read the next book, not because the story isn't compelling, but because I have to decide if I want to be the person I will be when I am done with it.

Side note: I will not be discussing any of my feeling about this with anyone who has not read the book since they are my only safe space in this category lol

Content Warnings