Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Night Shift by Alex Finlay

23 reviews

achay91's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • 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


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laurenslittlelibrary_'s review against another edition

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

3.75

I wasn’t completely blown away by this mystery/suspense. I feel like the villain could’ve been explored in more depth and that some of the side characters felt unnecessary to the story (like Rusty’s whole arrest). I did enjoy the multiple POV’s and the flashback chapter towards the end. I would’ve enjoyed a little more of the story from Jessie’s POV, but I liked how some of her side was portrayed between Ella and Sarah.  

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bre88's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious fast-paced
  • 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


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wonderfulxwonderful's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25


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foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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bookedandbusy's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense 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

5.0

I loved this book so much! This is the first book I’ve read by this author but it won’t be the last! It was so suspenseful and I didn’t see the twists coming! 

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savvyrosereads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

On New Year’s Eve 1999, a mass murderer struck the night shift of a Blockbuster, killing all but one employee. Fifteen years later, four teenage employees at an ice cream store are attacked in the same way—and once again, there is only one survivor.

First things first, this book is not what I expected from the blurb, cover, and various marketing materials I saw. I was anticipating something with slasher vibes and a heavily 90’s atmosphere—in reality, this is much more a procedural thriller and there are only a handful of scenes actually set in the 90’s.

Fortunately, I *love* procedurals, so this is a case of what I got being much better than what I imagined! The Night Shift had me hooked from the very first chapter, with brilliant characters, short and engaging chapters, and a string of great twists. I saw the whodunit coming, but not all of the underlying surprises, which always makes me happy. But the biggest standout of the novel is definitely the depth of feeling with which Finlay writes—there were so many moments of quiet compassion and humanity from the characters that I so appreciated. This is the kind of extra touch that so often gets lost in thrillers as authors struggle to keep their story as gritty and dark as possible, so I truly appreciated seeing the balance executed so well here.

Recommended if you like: procedural thrillers/mysteries; stories about cold cases; multiple POVs.

CW: Blood/murder/violence, injury and injury detail, discussions of inappropriate sexual relationships (adult/minor), mention of suicide.

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spiritbiscuit's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

4.0

Fun, kinda fast paced thriller with two timelines! Does mention teen pregnancy with an abusive adult, child abuse and murder but doesn’t go into anything graphic in those topics!  Got me out of my reading slump!

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annaledbetter's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0


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tbose22's review against another edition

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

3.25


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