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allisonplus's review against another edition
- 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
2.75
Moderate: Sexual violence, Violence, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Torture, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Rape
minimicropup's review against another edition
Monotone-ish and croaky. The characters sound too similar (unless theyāre all supposed to be elderly grandparents)
Atmosphere: š„±
Came for a thriller, got a childrenās book. āThe ranch houseā āThe athletic buildingā āThe neighbour talking to fill the silenceā
POVs: š
Repetitive. Iāve spent the last hour hearing a thousand different thoughts in Lilaās head going over how she is waiting for something to be discovered, and how she hates her husband.
Lila could be anything from an abusive psychopath herself to a confused, desperate, abused spouse but sheās written as robotic and flat to achieve that. All her thoughts are her observing her world with no development or personality insights whatsoever. No emotion or depth where we experience her struggling with hating and loving her spouse, fearing yet needing him, or even enjoying the drama and plotting/scheming.
All the characters read like living point-form!
Showānātell: š All tell (so many times), no show. Like a kindergartener describing their crayon set because they forgot to bring it.
Growls and Howls: šŗ
When it switches to the past, itās like the author took the Psych textbook notes for narcissistic personality disorder and had Lila notice them all in her husband then pointing them out to the reader. It already seems that she is FULLY aware of who he is and has been for a long time, they have no kids, she recognizes how horrible he is and seems to experiment a bit (thinking āif i say/do ____ heāll say/do ____ā¦.ā [does thing] āYep, see reader, SEE.ā). She has evidence he committed crimes too.
Reading journey: š
Your chain-smoking rideshare driver taking you around the same suburban block, pointing out the same attraction. Over and over. And over. In a nice sedan with climate control and comfy seats, but you have places to go and better things to do.
Vibe: šš„±š
Format: Audible
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
ssarahbbeth'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? It's complicated
3.75
No specific spoilers ahead but a little bit about the structure of the plot so if you intend on reading it, you may want to skip. Lila never once goes looking for her dead husband after his body disappears. She doesn't frantically search, she just coolly sits back and lets everything unfold. The first plot twist I absolutely saw coming, and I was a bit disappointed. The second plot twist was a huge surprise, but was delivered like an afterthought. As the story progressed, the dialogue got less believable. I feel this plot was A+++, but the story could have been executed so much better. This is definitely a fast paced and fun read, and I could see myself reading it again, there were just a couple of things that would have made this a 5 star read though that I wish were included.
Graphic: Gaslighting and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual violence, Murder, Emotional abuse, Violence, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Sexism, Stalking, Death, Domestic abuse, and Suicide
Nothing is particularly graphically depicted in this book but the themes are heavy and present. The men in the main character's life are horrid. They reduce her to her looks and her coldness or constantly gaslight her.sderrig's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Blood, Physical abuse, Rape, Stalking, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, and Torture
writtenbydnicole'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? No
3.5
Moderate: Blood, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Minor: Car accident, Vomit, and Sexual content
blissofalife's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Stalking, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Stalking, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Car accident, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
irisheyz77's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Abandonment, Ableism, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual assault
nodogsonthemoon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
herbivorereader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Murder, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Blood
bmignano's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Infidelity, Kidnapping, Medical content, and Suicide