Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - No Exit

“No Exit" by Taylor Adams is a psychological thriller where Darby Thorne gets trapped with strangers during a snowstorm at a rest stop. As she tries to find a way out, she discovers a kidnapped girl in a van. The story unfolds with suspense, twists, and the characters' secrets, making it a gripping and intense thriller.

1. **Plot and Storytelling:** 3/5 The story was a nail biter almost the entire way through. By the 25% mark it had me drawn in. I did not see the twist coming. However, were moments where I was bored and frustrated with the characters leading me to knock the score down to a 3.

2. **Characterization:** 5/5 These characters were well done. Darby was very real. The villains were frustrating, realistic, and scary.

3. **Writing Style:** 5/5 Taylor Adam’s did a fantastic job writing. He evoked emotion, kept the plot moving, and wove a thrilling story.

4. **Originality:** 4/5 I haven’t read another book quite like this. It was a unique take on an all too possibly real situation.

5. **Emotional Impact and Resolution:** 3/5 This book had me on the edge of my seat. I did find myself frustrated at times and the ending wasn’t ideal to me.

Overall rating: 4/5

If you enjoyed "No Exit," you might find Riley Sager's and Ruth Ware's works appealing. Riley Sager is known for psychological thrillers like "Final Girls" and "The Last Time I Lied," while Ruth Ware has written gripping novels such as "The Woman in Cabin 10" and "In a Dark, Dark Wood." Both authors excel in creating suspenseful narratives with intriguing plots and well-crafted characters, making them worth considering for your next read.

Content Warnings

melimar's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This book was enjoyable for the most part. The narrator did a great job. The main issue I had with this book is that several times, it seemed like the book was about to end and all of the plot lines were going to be resolved, but then I would look at the time left and there would be hours remaining and another twist would be added. It was ok one or two times, maybe even three, but this happened more than was necessary. It was very drawn out. There were some moments that seemed a little unrealistic. But as a thriller, overall, I enjoyed the story.

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kweenreads's review against another edition

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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? Yes

4.5

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emmie_humphreys's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

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michelle_my_belle's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

This was a very fast paced, action packed thriller. It leaned a little too far into horror for my tastes and contained a lot of graphic violence. I will say, it was a very compelling story and I continued reading wanting to find out what happened, so it was definitely successful in drawing me in and building suspense. Overall, it just wasn’t really for me.

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brooklynlaura's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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theplantlady's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

4.0

This was an amazing read!!! What a way to start 2024 on the reading challenge. This was a pick from Jazzybookish book club, and Taylor Adams waste no time jumping into the plot and storyline. The characters of this book are Darby, Ashley, Lars, Sandy, and Ed. The characters are well developed, except for Sandy, she doesn't really have a spotlight in this book. Mr. Adams did a superb job on the storyline. The only con of this book is it is extremely predictable, but here is the twist, this does not take away from the plot, characters, or storyline, it is still entertaining and will have you racing through the pages to see what the end will be. And I thought I was able to predict the ending and to my surprise, I was in awe of how it ended. You will not be disappointed.

The storyline is dark with a child in the story, however I believe Mr. Adams kept this light and very minimal triggers and was tastefully done. I enjoyed this read!!

Content Warnings

cfarron's review

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful sad 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? Yes

4.5

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