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cjadlp's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Spoiler-Free Summary
What Worked (for me)
- Although Rachel is the protagonist, there are three narrators — all women, all unreliable. Hawkins handles our unreliable narrators and flashbacks masterfully, so you feel obligated to question anything presented as fact.
- I empathized with Rachel and her personal demons, even when some of her choices made me cringe with contact embarrassment. This is a broken woman trying to glue herself back together with booze and mystery.
- While the mystery wasn’t especially difficult to unravel, there is a specific component of the finale that sets this apart from other thrillers I’ve read.
What Didn’t Work (for me)
- I recognize that this is nitpicky, but it still bothers me five years later and ultimately cost this book 1.5 stars (it lost the other 0.5 on its own). Behind the spoiler tag is some science about drinking, but it is technically a major spoiler for the plot.
Blood alcohol levels affect your hippocampus, the part of your brain that records and stores memories. A “blackout” happens when your hippocampus stops recording, or stops storing those records correctly (like when you remember bits and pieces). The memories you have the morning after a bender are the only memories that exist. Any “recovered” memories after the fact - especially much later in time - are fabrications.
- With the exception of that one thing in the finale, the actual story structure is so textbook that I wasn’t surprised when Jessica Brody used it as the “whydunit” archetype in Save the Cat! Writes a Novel.
- While I empathized with Rachel, I absolutely slammed the book on her once or twice when she insisted on doing embarrassing things.
Final Thoughts
It was a fun, easy read, and a solid introduction to thrillers for someone who was - at the time - unfamiliar with the genre. That said, it feels a little too formulaic now and I’m still annoyed about the drinking thing.
Recommendation
I would also recommend this to writers looking to study unreliable narrators and plot structure.
Graphic: Alcohol and Alcoholism
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, and Murder
Minor: Physical abuse
kaylaannsreads'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
4.25
Graphic: Physical abuse, Murder, Domestic abuse, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Child death, Gaslighting, Stalking, and Emotional abuse
elbellreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Death, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Murder, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Child death, and Stalking
Moderate: Blood, Pregnancy, Infertility, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Cursing, and Gaslighting
ellasommers'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Blood, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Murder, Gaslighting, Stalking, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Body shaming
kotashomelibrary's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Gaslighting, Murder, Infertility, Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Infidelity, Violence, Emotional abuse, and Alcohol
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Death, Child death, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Mental illness
Minor: Pregnancy, Vomit, Kidnapping, Abandonment, and Abortion
trinloyd'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
3.75
Graphic: Grief, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Infertility, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Vomit, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Gaslighting, and Blood
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Pregnancy
samcsmith's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Grief, Violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Gaslighting, and Gore
Moderate: Body shaming, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Death, Fatphobia, Murder, Vomit, Cursing, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Mental illness
Minor: Drug use, Excrement, Child death, and Confinement
miggyfool'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
3.5
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Violence, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Stalking, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, and Vomit
aisclaradm'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
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Violence, Infertility, Murder, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Blood, Child death, Death, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Abortion, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Stalking, Grief, and Sexual assault
Minor: Drug abuse, Abortion, Toxic friendship, Car accident, and Drug use
exist0ni's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny