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ninahuynh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Gore, Animal death, Body horror, Blood, Child death, Child abuse, Cursing, Violence, Death of parent, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Self harm, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Murder
creepycrawlybookworm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Grief, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Car accident, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Alcohol, Child death, Pregnancy, Confinement, Death of parent, and Cursing
avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition
- 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? No
3.0
Graphic: Gore, Cursing, Blood, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Violence, Body horror, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Death, and Car accident
Minor: Animal death, Gaslighting, and Child death
andrewhatesham's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Medical content, Self harm, Child death, Violence, Body horror, Death of parent, and Gore
Moderate: Grief, Alcohol, Car accident, and Cursing
Minor: Vomit and War
jackieyvette's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I've read a book by Grady Hendrix before and loved it (The Final Girl Support Group), and thought might as well pick up the next one to see if it was a one off or if Grady Hendrix. I can say with my whole chest, Grady Hendrix is the real deal. This book is exciting, dark, cryptic, loving, etc. The list goes on.
Louise and Mark are a perfect pair. They are what siblings are. They're loud and antagonistic, but also soft and caring and most of all forgiving. I didn't expect the book to open on fighting siblings and not end with a sweet reunion, but the way this was done left a warmth in my heart that might never leave. The family love doesn't stop there though. This family is filled with strong and amazing women who rally to any occasion that comes their way. At the heart of this book is a true look at a family dynamic that I think every one can relate to. Every family has their secrets; it's just a matter of time before they come to head.
This is a book I can see myself reading over again in a couple of months, but always wishing I could read again for the first time.
Crying score: Yeah. Horror can be sad, don't I know it.
Graphic: Death, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Alcohol, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Cursing, Blood, Car accident, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Grief, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
Minor: Fatphobia
thatenbyisisreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I related a lot to Louise when it came to her resentment towards her brother, Mark. As someone who grew up as a girl, I can say that Louise was fully justified in her anger towards her parents/brother. This following quote from the book made me have to take a break from reading because of how much it resembled my childhood frustrations. "The point was that her mom had a whole tough-love thing for Louise and let Mark do whatever he wanted and never face any consequences. The point was that she was supposed to look after him and give him everything and never complain, but no one was looking after her. That was the point." It's incredibly heartbreaking to grow up with this resentment only for the adults in my life to understand that resentment only when it directly affected them.
I thought that incorporating the 5 stages of grief into the storyline was beautifully done, and really expressed those emotions during whichever situation the characters found themselves in.
However, I did find a couple of things to be offensive and for Grady, to learn from moving forward. In the beginning of the book, I'm sure it's meant with the intention of the reader to dislike Mark as he can be an insufferable, immature man who says ignorant things from time to time. In both of these instances, there's mentions of cultural appropriation when it came to Mark suggesting that they "sage" the house and his recommendation of doing a Hindu ritual for his white parents' funeral. He had also thought it was okay to compare their parents' house to the conditions in Afghanistan.
I'm the type of person who refuses to have porcelain or ventriloquist dolls in my house because of stories like this. I'd like to learn the easy way instead of the hard way. Overall, I thought this story was written with an exceptional build up that had me wanting more after I had put the book down.
Graphic: Cursing, Blood, Cultural appropriation, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Self harm, Violence, and Child death
ameliadidon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
HTSAHH was a slower burn and much of the action happened in the final third, an issue i also had with Hendrix’s other two novels i’ve read - however i enjoyed the lead up and storyline of the other two much more. with this novel i was disinterested in the characters and struggled to develop attachments to them, making the read feel like a slog.
Graphic: Cursing, Gore, Death of parent, and Blood
Moderate: Car accident and Child death
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis
vercopaanir'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
3.5
Graphic: Car accident, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Child death, Cursing, Violence, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Animal death, Fatphobia, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, and Gaslighting
jerseygirl_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Cursing, and Violence
time_dabbler's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, Death, Body horror, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Mental illness, Alcohol, Death of parent, Cursing, Alcoholism, and Blood