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maddie_d_316'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
3.5
Graphic: Murder, Bullying, Torture, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Panic attacks/disorders, Gore, Child death, Mental illness, and Suicide
Moderate: Sexual assault
lybrarie's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The writing was easy to read, and I do think it felt like it leant a little more towards YA at times, but it was still good. I also wasn't a huge fan of the way autism was treated in this book. I know that mystery/thrillers are going to cover potentially triggering topics, as is their nature, but the ableism in this book was extreme and I don't think it needed to be where it was seen.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and I would give this author another go in the future too.
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Bullying, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Mental illness, Murder, Suicide, Blood, Suicide attempt, Body horror, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Sexual assault, Stalking, and Violence
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Physical abuse, Cursing, Alcohol, Dementia, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcoholism, and Confinement
natsbookshelves's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Murder, Self harm, Stalking, Violence, Child abuse, Death, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Bullying
kta's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I was horrified when I got to the "reason" for the list or why Beth/Ruby was the way she was. If this wasn't a galley I probably would have given it up and quit reading this book. It never really got less horrifying, which is kind of the point of the story, but the story did develop further and somewhat redeem itself even if the characters weren't redeemed.
In general I prefer a single narrator/character perspective. I found this even harder to follow than normal with The Six being renamed as part of their sentence. Then the one storyteller not revealing who they were to the reader until the last 1/4 of the book. The audiobook version didn't help this confusion with a single narrator and no distinction or mark between switching perspectives.
Graphic: Bullying, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Violence, Stalking, Murder, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Hate crime, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Fire/Fire injury
emses's review
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Mental illness
asourceoffiction's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is a really pacy and brilliantly clever psychological thriller. It goes in completely unexpected directions and I loved that I couldn't guess much of what was to come, where it subverts a number of classic thriller tropes. The writing was good and the way the story was built up through three different perspectives really kept me hooked.
For me, the subject matter was probably past my limit on what is too disturbing. I really struggled to connect with a number of the characters and would frequently second guess my own feelings of sympathy for them, before swinging in the opposite direction. The ending is probably fitting for the nature of the story, but there could really be no satisfying conclusion. Morally it's a very tricky book and I found it incredibly hard to be objective, while also needing to do just that in order to cope with the difficult plot.
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Mental illness, Murder, and Torture
Moderate: Child abuse and Rape