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caitlincassidy's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Moderate: Rape, Homophobia, Murder, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
fvaladez's review against another edition
- 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
2.0
The repeating of certain feelings and statements falls into the category of redundancy. It's almost like the author was trying to figure out more ways to say the same thing over and over again, when it doesn't add to the story in a meaningful way. After the 3rd time, for multiple characters, of repeating themselves, I felt like I could've skipped whole paragraphs and still be fine.
There is no meaningful character growth, for good or evil. Some stuff is pretty obvious where it's heading and who's doing what. There were some parts that were giving me hope, but it reverted back to flat tropes and generic writing.
Some characters feel like they were created to simply fit a trope and were lacking substance to really make them meaningful. And some parts that were harped on so much were never fully explored, like the whole "what's behind the paint and wallpaper" thing. We don't visit what's in the old holes in the wall, we don't see what was Patrick doing in the cellar, and a number of other things. This had me feeling like I wasn't getting all the necessary information and that these things were thrown in almost as an afterthought.
Speaking of tropes, damn near every trope is in here and they fall flat. Nothing worthwhile about it.
!!!!!!Trigger Warning!!!!!!!
Unfortunately, I would not recommend this book.
Moderate: Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, Abandonment, Blood, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Torture, and Toxic relationship
phantasmaboo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I really wanted to like this book, but unfortunately it fell flat for me. Starting off, the plot heavily relies on domestic abuse tropes to help move it forward rather than creating a compelling story of a family in crisis. The plot moves from trope to trope lazily, which causes the story to quickly lose its momentum to the point of boredom. To yank the reader out of this boredom, some large event happens to further traumatize the characters. Thus, the plot is simply one catastrophe after the other as the characters simply live in the house.
I didn't find the plot haunting or thrilling. It was, at times, shocking, but only because the author chose to put in some event that is bound to shock the mind of any reader. For example, a graphic rape scene. None of these events seem to connect to each other, as the author leaves no breadcrumbs for readers to pick up on. Instead, she tells you everything and then adds in shock value. To be honest, I called the ending in the first 10% of the book, but continued listening, hoping I was wrong.
This brings me to the characters. They are very two dimensional to put it plainly and all of them are stereotypical of the role that they play.
Overall, I give this book 2 stars. It's not the worst, but it is incredibly predictable and without depth or dimension.
Graphic: Violence, Suicide, Rape, Domestic abuse, Murder, Sexual violence, and Physical abuse
sarahna's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Alcohol, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Drug abuse, Self harm, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence