Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie

53 reviews

esv_'s review

challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Abandonment, Murder, Death of parent, and Child death

Moderate: Cursing, Classism, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Cancer, Violence, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Terminal illness, Infidelity, and Blood

Minor: Stalking, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Eating disorder, Sexism, Suicide, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Incest, and Mental illness

nplunkie's review

dark funny mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

There are elements of this book I really loved but there are parts that really took away from my overall enjoyment of the book. The protagonist not being particularly likeable and really a bit of a “pick-me” was something I just accepted as the book went on. I didn’t love how the chapters were structured, often very long but then with the real event of the chapter only taking up a handful of pages. 
The ending was what really took away from the story for me.

The whole long lost half brother who had managed to infiltrate the family is the one that ruins her plan (but also means Simon is dead without her struggling to figure out a way) just feels like a way out of coming up with an ending. It is mentioned that she feels as though she’s being watched but that is quickly brushed off and she goes about another 3 killings - hard to believe she could get away with all of those without leaving evidence but not notice a man following her

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Overall it feels like the book had real potential but just fell a bit flat especially in the last 50 pages or so for me - interested to read more books from this author!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Infidelity, Death, Abandonment, and Death of parent

Moderate: Car accident, Stalking, Terminal illness, Grief, and Drug use

ursa_arlo's review

dark fast-paced

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

2.5

What irritates me most about this novel is that Grace has very little she fights for, except the death of her family. She hates everything equally, bringing everything and everyone down around her with overdone sarcasm that makes it hard to get a read on what she does care about. If you stand for nothing, what will you fall for? It makes her an intolerable MC and not in a 'character you love to hate' way. 

I did enjoy the first half of the book; it was interesting to read about how the murders took place, but there was no clear message to the book. Clearly, it was a not a feminist statement, nor did it make a clear statement about Grace becoming more like her father than she'd wanted. Although, I did not mind the twist as much, it was badly foreshadowed and muddied the message of the book even further. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Body shaming, Sexual content, Death, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Sexism, Misogyny, Car accident, and Abandonment

Moderate: Grief, Eating disorder, Alcohol, Infidelity, Drug use, Drug abuse, Confinement, and Alcoholism

Minor: Miscarriage

theelliad's review against another edition

3.5

How to Kill Your Family is the account of serial murders told from the perspective of the killer as she serves jail time for a murder she didn’t commit.

The narrative voice of this novel is hilarious and sarcastic and truly kept me engaged, alongside this the dual timeline of the story is handled well and it was structurally enjoyable and followable. That said, I was disappointed by the ending, the twist was not the best but I thought fitted the story well, it was rather the transformation in Grace (the protagonist) in the final chapters. The self sufficient, powerful and somewhat narcissistic personality she has established falls victim to the writers need for a conclusion becoming submissive, easily forgiving and a bit boring as the final events of her life are recounted; it was this, more so than the plot twist, which didn’t feel right to me. However, that said I did enjoy this book enough to speed through it in a matter of days and so I cannot judge it too harshly! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Murder, Grief, Gaslighting, Violence, Stalking, Sexual content, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Gore, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Classism, Cancer, Misogyny, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Body horror, and Blood

junglejelly's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

The beginning and end of the book are great but I found the middle to be formulaic with the same structure

this is how I killed X member of the family

. I enjoyed the start and finale immensely with the writing being so captivating and entertaining.

The ending is definitely a satisfying one and one I will remember for a while.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Terminal illness

Minor: Sexism, Fatphobia, Bullying, Drug use, and Infidelity

bookaholic_in_wonderland's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Violence

Moderate: Abandonment

Minor: Stalking, Body shaming, Car accident, Alcohol, Death of parent, Drug use, Infidelity, Blood, Addiction, Cancer, Death, and Eating disorder

lily1304's review

dark funny tense fast-paced

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

4.75

It's like a FUNNY version of Gone Girl or Promising Young Woman?? Like an EXCITING version of My Year of R&R?? Like all three, there's a theory of gender and anger buried here that I can't quite articulate. The protagonist is delightfully unreliable - incisive about some things, totally oblivious to others. I wanted to SCREAM when I read the ending (which I stayed up late to finish)!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Murder, Violence, Death, Death of parent, and Infidelity

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Sexual content

Content notes:

Incarceration; a teen willingly sends nudes to an adult without the adult's consent

puddles_of_ink's review

dark lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Infidelity, and Sexual content

Moderate: Eating disorder

taleofabibliophile's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual content, Cursing, and Death

Moderate: Classism, Sexism, Cancer, Infidelity, Misogyny, Drug use, and Eating disorder

Minor: Domestic abuse, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual harassment

tasarla's review

dark slow-paced

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

3.75

Good beach read :)

I loved reading this in the first person where the narrator is an absolute psycho! 

I really like the writing style (though upon reading other reviews it appears to be divisive). The main character is supposed to be hateable and not relatable so if you’re into that this book is a great example of it

Despite the “funny” tag I’d say the book has some amusing moments rather than it actually being funny

The plot in the first half of the book is much stronger than the second half IMO, but I still liked the rest of the book and enjoyed the ending. 

The murders are well-described but not gory or disgustingly graphic detail, which I liked because it made an otherwise heavy book feel more light

Normally I feel like books focus too much on romantic side-plots but this one failed in this aspect. Spoiler:

I feel like Jimmys storyline was never actually wrapped up properly. It was hreat up until he realises she didn’t push his fiancée off the balcony then he’s never mentioned again other than everything goes back to normal!? Could’ve done with some kind of closure scene of those two!

Probably wouldn’t re-read but I did enjoy reading it overall

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Car accident, Incest, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Violence, Child abuse, Sexual content, Murder, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Drug use, Eating disorder, Toxic friendship, Forced institutionalization, and Stalking