Scan barcode
the_pink_pharmacist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Death, Domestic abuse, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Child abuse
reneeschauer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Suicide, Cancer, Sexual assault, Murder, Bullying, Rape, Physical abuse, and Child abuse
bitsyreads_'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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Bullying, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Cancer
lottiebrooks'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
2.5
- The author uses the word niggling no less than 6 times. Surely there’s a better option that doesn’t sound adjacent to a slur?
- A #1 true crime podcaster simply wouldn’t post in real time about where she is staying, where she’s going, and that she’s doing it alone. That’s like safety 101. She also wouldn’t be #1 if her episodes were 2 minutes long. Also most true crime podcasts who post about active cases like this get sued.
- Nearly everyone is blond(e).
- The author referred to a “vagrant” selling cans to make money in North Carolina, which is not a state that offers that program. She also calls it a small town, then says there are 98,000 residents - This would make it the 7th largest town in the state.
- We are simultaneously told that the judge of the case has never had a decision reversed and had one reversed 7 years ago.
- The author used the phrase “jelly and peanut butter” sandwich. It really rocked my world.
Graphic: Rape, Car accident, and Cancer
minimicropup'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
1.5
🇺🇸 Set in a fictional coastal town in North Carolina, USA
- Realistic in how survivors of sexual crimes are re-traumatized by the black-and-white approach to legal proceedings.
- Simplistic, robotic writing style. The dialogue is flat because we have no context. Did someone say "no comment" angrily, smirking, begrudgingly etc? It reads like a script with a textbook, flat writing style.
- Potentially lacklustre commentary on sexual crimes. We get the worst-case scenario (obvious evidence of rape occurring + legal loopholes that entirely depend on what the jury believes). This story isn't new to you if you are a regular true crime consumer. The legal system is broken, but how can we fix it? This isn't touched on in this novel. Instead, everything that could go wrong does. That is okay and a meaningful, realistic narrative. Still, it was diluted because our MC was so distracted to avoid the depth of the issue. We are just told that it's awful instead of experiencing it for ourselves.
- The podcast trope fails for me. Given in snippets that were anecdotes of the MC's life and not related at all to the case she was covering. But it's not like the case she covered was told to us from her POV earlier, either. She barely paid attention, and we didn't get much in the way of testimony; we were just told someone did well or didn't do well (lawyers, witnesses etc).
- Frustrating MC. She has a critical job giving her listeners the details of crucial evidence in the trial. Still, she walks out of the court when a NURSE WHO EXAMINED THE VICTIM IS TESTIFYING to take a call on a side case instead of letting it go to voicemail.
- Maybe just me, but it seemed like Rachel was trying to find a way to be as traumatized as the victims instead of reporting their stories.
- Frustrating stalker. Hannah - who invested so much time and energy to get Rachel (our MC) to cover her sister's mishandled case - suddenly disappears and becomes uninterested once Rachel is willing to cover it. Hannah sends her self-centred memoir to Rachel instead of the evidence and background on why she believes her sister was murdered.
- Direct commentary about the problems with the court and legal systems handling sexual crimes
- Contemporary fiction with touches of courtroom attendance
- Journalism (podcaster) investigation drama
Graphic: Cancer, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Bullying and Alcohol
shellyb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, and Sexual violence
Minor: Cancer and Death of parent
aperrie26's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Death, Cancer, and Child abuse
cryptidonwheels's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Sexual violence, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Rape, and Death
Moderate: Alcohol, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Cancer, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty and Stalking
fiction_addiction_1994's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
🌞🌊🌞🌊🌞
.
•What did I think of this book? (Duo POV)
I loved this book. Rachel Krall is a podcaster who's traveled for a popular third season that deals in a small town. A popular Olympic swimmer is accused of raping the towns Cheif of Police's granddaughter. This small town is split in two over who to believe.Along the way Rachel receives letters of another unjust crime that happened 25 years before. As the court case comes to an end, more than one crime is solved. I would recommend this book! The second book, Dark Corners, is to be released in August, but is this months BoTM choice!
.
Quotes:
~ "I'm Rachel Krall, and this is Guilty or Not Guilty, the podcast that puts you in the jury box." -p.25
Graphic: Rape
Minor: Car accident, Suicide, and Cancer
zianna_reads's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Moderate: Bullying, Pedophilia, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Cancer, Car accident, Mental illness, Murder, Child abuse, Death of parent, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual assault