Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell

25 reviews

chapters_and_pages's review

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really thought this was going to be a five star read for me, but unfortunately it just fell a little short.

Invisible Girl follows three perspectives. Owen, a man who has just been accused of sexual misconduct by his female students and stumbles into the dark world of incel forums. Cate, a physiotherapist who lives across from Owen with her psychologist husband, Roan, and their two teenage children. And Saffyre, a teenage and former patient of Roan’s, who suddenly goes missing on Owen and Cate’s street. 

I really enjoy Lisa Jewell’s books, they are fast paced, and I often find myself unable to put them down. I wasn’t a fan of how Saffyre’s first chapter was written, it felt a little too much like something a child would do to begin a story, however after this chapter, I didn’t have any more problems with the writing. 

In terms of characters, I think I probably found Owen the most interesting. Cate and Saffyre were fairly similar to characters I’ve read a hundred times over, however Owen’s incel storyline isn’t anything I’ve seen in books before and I found that it really added a unique element to a story that may have otherwise been told plenty of times before. 

The main thing that really brought this book down to four stars for me was the ending. It felt very rushed, underwhelming and unrealistic. Between Saffyre’s whereabouts, the revelation of the identity of the man attacking women and Owen’s rehabilitation, it just didn’t seem the most realistic ending, and left me feeling a little disappointed. 

I did, however, like Owen’s ending, despite the fact that it was fairly unrealistic. After being wrongly charged with the kidnapping of a teenage girl, to see Owen realise the path he was going down and take the necessary steps to better himself and his attitude towards women, getting his job back, and entering a new relationship was a really nice ending for him, especially as rehabilitation for incels is fairly uncommon in media. 

Also, the identity of the attacker fell a little flat for me. I won’t say anything specific but I think it would’ve had a bigger impact if it had been someone else. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I look forward to reading my next Lisa Jewell book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual assault, Self harm, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Stalking, Rape, and Sexual violence

bekahperson's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Self harm, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Gaslighting, and Drug use

nanirump's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I listened to this as an audiobook, and it was very engaging and well performed. I liked the character arc of Owen . Saffyre was harder to understand with her lack of communication and hiding out. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Infidelity, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Self harm, Sexism, Gaslighting, Stalking, Bullying, and Mental illness

nicole_cob_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Self harm, Stalking, and Infidelity

laurabru92's review

dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual assault, Stalking, Grief, Sexual violence, Hate crime, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Mental illness, and Rape

Moderate: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Self harm, Death of parent, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Deadnaming, Death, Grief, Domestic abuse, Drug use, and Infertility

lothwolfjedi's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Un drame/thriller psychologique efficace, Lisa Jewell est toujours aussi douée pour dépeindre les problèmes de notre société dans leur complexité. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, and Self harm

courtreads1010's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.25

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Content Warnings

Minor: Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Child abuse, and Rape

norwegianforestreader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Sexual assault, Stalking, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Rape, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, and Confinement

jaimeeleigh_'s review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I always enjoy a book with multiple perspectives and the progression of the plot was good. The resolution feels a little anticlimactic.

once Roan was shown to be having an affair it was suspicious and then we find out about Harrison and it’s obvious it was going to be a combination

The last chapter had a little shock but other than that I didn’t find it a real page turner with any twists and turns but I also read a lot of crime genre books. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, Sexual assault, and Mental illness

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, and Misogyny

Minor: Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Homophobia

batcaves's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Death, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Abandonment, Rape, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Classism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment