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amanda_reads13's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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
Isabelle's son goes missing and she will stop at nothing until she finds him.
This one pulled me right. We follow Isabelle, an mother whose son is missing, she is grieving, suffering from PTSD, and barely sleeping. She is the definition of an unreliable narrator, yet you want to believe her. We are steeped in her grief and paranoia. You are right with her the entire time picking apart the pieces and trying to make sense of it all.
There are definitely a few red herrings along the way. Did she do something to him while sleep walking? Was it her narcissistic husband? Is Whalen the guilty one? Was it the creepy man down the street? What are the cops hiding?
We find out that when she was younger, Isabelle had a history of sleep walking. One night her sister died in the marshes behind the house.We are lead to think that Isabelle lead her to her death and that she killed her son while sleep walking. Then we find out that it was actually her mother, suffering from severe PPD who was guilty. She has planned to kill herself and her 2 daughters, but only the one daughter died.
The whole time I thought it was the husband.He is obviously a narcissist, possibly sociopath who is manipulative, controlling, and gaslights everyone. He is always on the hunt for a younger version of his wife. His first wife died of suicide while pregnant and then his son with his second wife goes missing while he is in the throws of an affair with a younger model. Convenient or guilty? Well he is certainly guilty of something, but not of killing his son.
I was shocked whenit was revealed that it was the girlfriend who kidnapped her son! I was not expecting that at all. She was jealous and wanted Isabelle out of the picture, so she took the child and gave him to a woman to raise.
This one pulled me right. We follow Isabelle, an mother whose son is missing, she is grieving, suffering from PTSD, and barely sleeping. She is the definition of an unreliable narrator, yet you want to believe her. We are steeped in her grief and paranoia. You are right with her the entire time picking apart the pieces and trying to make sense of it all.
There are definitely a few red herrings along the way. Did she do something to him while sleep walking? Was it her narcissistic husband? Is Whalen the guilty one? Was it the creepy man down the street? What are the cops hiding?
We find out that when she was younger, Isabelle had a history of sleep walking. One night her sister died in the marshes behind the house.
The whole time I thought it was the husband.
I was shocked when
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Pregnancy, Grief, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Gaslighting, Infidelity, and Misogyny
jakobmarleymommy's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, and Suicide
haffnernicole87's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Kidnapping
Moderate: Miscarriage, Blood, and Pregnancy
throwback682's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
5.0
It’s so hard to describe this book (or even give trigger warnings) without also giving spoilers.
I think the author did a really good job of keeping you guessing and adding plenty of twists without it being heavy handed or corny. The narrator is both deeply sympathetic and deeply unsympathetic at the same time somehow. This was one I couldn’t put down.
I think the author did a really good job of keeping you guessing and adding plenty of twists without it being heavy handed or corny. The narrator is both deeply sympathetic and deeply unsympathetic at the same time somehow. This was one I couldn’t put down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Suicide, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Vomit, Blood, Child death, Mental illness, Death, Grief, and Infidelity
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Infertility, Sexual content, and Stalking
It’s hard to give TW without spoiling but many of the major trigger warnings surround motherhood in some wayraeisreading's review
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Nice plot twists that aren’t just a third act conflict and good element of suspense throughout
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Miscarriage, Child death, and Death
csick22's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I didn’t like most of the characters in this book but I think that was intentional as the author wanted them to be realistic. It was slow for the first half, I found the second half went much quicker
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Miscarriage
sagesanctum's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Wow. I was surprised by this one.
This is my first real venture into the horror/thriller genre; typically I'm more of a "only books with a guaranteed happy ending" type of reader. I read to improve my mood, so I usually don't try anything I think might be too depressing. Despite this, I joined the local book club in an effort to broaden my horizons, and All the Dangerous Things was the book chosen.
Right out the gate, I wasn't thrilled to be reading this one. I'm a parent to young children and I DO NOT enjoy reading literally anything involving even the possibility of child harm or death, so the idea of reading a book about a missing child truly did not appeal to me. And honestly, for a good... half? three-quarters of the way through the book? Still wasn't vibing with it. Most of the characters are unlikable. Isabelle herself, despite being a sympathetic character because of her circumstances, quickly and progressively becomes less likable through the story. Other characters--either through their own behavior or simply because we're learning about them through Isabelle's lens--are also unpleasant for different reasons. Some things that happen in the book? Not my cup of tea.
However, I did like the writing style. Some people complained about the sprawling descriptions and metaphoric language, but I really liked it. I feel like it fits Isabelle's character, given her career choice. I do agree the pacing could use some more progressive ramp-up, since I think I didn't really start feeling much tension until maybe 200+ pages in? Which I suspect is a bit slow for a thriller. That being said, the twist was spectacular and the ending was both unexpected and satisfying.
Thus, I am giving it 3.75 stars. It's solidly written, the conclusion makes the story worth a try if you can tolerate the initially-slow buildup, but I don't think I'd read it more than one time.
This is my first real venture into the horror/thriller genre; typically I'm more of a "only books with a guaranteed happy ending" type of reader. I read to improve my mood, so I usually don't try anything I think might be too depressing. Despite this, I joined the local book club in an effort to broaden my horizons, and All the Dangerous Things was the book chosen.
Right out the gate, I wasn't thrilled to be reading this one. I'm a parent to young children and I DO NOT enjoy reading literally anything involving even the possibility of child harm or death, so the idea of reading a book about a missing child truly did not appeal to me. And honestly, for a good... half? three-quarters of the way through the book? Still wasn't vibing with it. Most of the characters are unlikable. Isabelle herself, despite being a sympathetic character because of her circumstances, quickly and progressively becomes less likable through the story. Other characters--either through their own behavior or simply because we're learning about them through Isabelle's lens--are also unpleasant for different reasons. Some things that happen in the book? Not my cup of tea.
However, I did like the writing style. Some people complained about the sprawling descriptions and metaphoric language, but I really liked it. I feel like it fits Isabelle's character, given her career choice. I do agree the pacing could use some more progressive ramp-up, since I think I didn't really start feeling much tension until maybe 200+ pages in? Which I suspect is a bit slow for a thriller. That being said, the twist was spectacular and the ending was both unexpected and satisfying.
Thus, I am giving it 3.75 stars. It's solidly written, the conclusion makes the story worth a try if you can tolerate the initially-slow buildup, but I don't think I'd read it more than one time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Child death, Infidelity, Pregnancy, and Drug abuse
Minor: Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Suicide, Infertility, Vomit, and Kidnapping
nancykz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Well-plotted and paced, tight storytelling. I really enjoyed this!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Infidelity, and Miscarriage
melissa_h's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0
This is my second read 📚 from this author. I really enjoyed it!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Gaslighting, Infertility, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Bullying, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, and Grief
emilyen13's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, and Grief