Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

Mitt i natten by Riley Sager

58 reviews

ky_q_xoxo's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I loved this but I was SO caught off guard by the ending and I can’t decide how I feel about it????

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Dementia

Minor: Miscarriage, Kidnapping, Car accident

mkdila's review against another edition

4.25

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Maybe its partly my own recent life events, but this book had me tearing up hardcore by the end. So bittersweet and nostalgic, with a bit of a similar vibe to It by Stephen King because of the flashbacks to childhood shenanigans. 

The twist at the end was definitely not as epic as the other Sager books I've read have been, but it was satisfying in a way, and had a heavy cathartic feeling. I really enjoy Sager's writing, and the mystery in this one mixed with ghosts??? Very, very fun!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death

Moderate: Addiction

greavuem's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder

Minor: Dementia, Car accident

gellyreads's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Wow, I'm not sure what all to say about this one. I'm an avid Sager reader and lover, and this one was not at all what I was expecting.

On one hand, I'm really disappointed because there was so much build up around the Hawthorne Institute that went absolutely nowhere. But the fact that it was just her as a teen, underage drinking, and a complete accident, feels so real? Like, that is what would happen in real life. That would be devastating. But it also feels like a bit of a cop out with the mystery. I'm okay with the way the ghost kid was involved in this one and saving their lives at the end; I really enjoyed the twist of the other neighbor kid being the one who cut the tent and that the "haunting" was done by Andy, which I actually did call! But wow.

This one was a wild and twisty ride and is honestly unpredictable as a reader, I think. Not my favorite work he's written, but not my least favorite under this pen name either. The switching of the point of views for the past tense was also a bit distracting for me when it was Ethan, and I enjoyed it more when we saw other characters' POVs in the past tense that way. Also, nice to see some diverse characters, finally! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief

Moderate: Addiction, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Dementia, Kidnapping, Death of parent

Minor: Infertility, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization

amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition

5.0

emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I thought this was Riley Sager's best novel!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Dementia, Grief, Car accident, Abandonment, Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use

Minor: Pregnancy

avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition

3.5

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Quick Synopsis:  Ethan is back at his childhood home 30 years after his best friend Billy disappeared from his backyard. Ethan, still having nightmares from that night, begins to think Billy is trying to communicate with him.

Quick Review:  I almost wish the book had supernatural elements, I think that would have made the ending more satisfying. I figured out part of what had happened to Billy, by about halfway through the book. I know Riley Sager's books tend to be ones I either love or I just feel meh about, but this one was a meh book. I think part of the problem was Ethan wasn't that likable.

Narrator Rating: 4.0 stars
  The narrator did an excellent job, though some of his tonal shifts for the flashbacks were irritating. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Kidnapping, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug abuse, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, Death of parent

While a child is killed in the book, I don't think it would qualify as graphic as it was relatively quick and not vividly described, though it's talked about quite a bit.

I would not use the "murder" content warning as no one is actually murdered even if is suspected to have happened.

laneyjane4's review against another edition

3.75

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: N/A

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail

sare1125's review against another edition

3.0

dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Dementia, Grief

Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Alcohol

Minor: Kidnapping, Car accident

throwback682's review against another edition

4.5

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

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This was a tearjerker for me. A lot of twists I didn’t predict (and one I did), although you may figure things out more quickly. It felt a bit long but overall very enjoyable. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Confinement, Mental illness, Dementia

Minor: Cursing, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Blood, Vomit, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy

bananasandsunshine's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I genuinely enjoyed the character building that took place over the entire course of the novel. while I’m sure some people might find it repetitive, I thought Sager’s building of mood and as atmosphere was so good. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Kidnapping

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Murder

Minor: Bullying, Miscarriage, Abandonment