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blissofalife's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Stalking, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Stalking, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Car accident, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
akhgrubbs's review
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Murder, Pedophilia, and Rape
irisheyz77'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
4.5
Moderate: Abandonment, Ableism, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual assault
leahlovesloslibros's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
It seems that Lila Ridgefield has the perfect life. She is married to Aaron, a beloved high school math teacher and coach, she is always perfectly made up, and she only has to work her real estate job when she wants to, allowing her all the time she could want for herself. When Aaron disappears, she can hardly believe it - mostly because she last saw his body when she left it to be found at his school, along with his secret stash of homemade porno videos featuring several of his [former and current] female students.
The rest of their small town can't believe the adored teacher and coach could possibly have just left on his own, so they begin to assume the worst. Lila quickly becomes the prime suspect in her husband's disappearance, but no one can pinpoint exactly why or how she could have done it, especially Ginny, the lead detective on Aaron's case.
While I don't believe Lila had strong character development, per se, I appreciated her consistent determined attitude, the ferocity with which she stood her ground in every circumstance, her ability to keep an even keel even as her life was dissected in search of her missing husband, and her survivor instincts and behaviors. Although she had periodic moments of weakness, she never let those who were out to get her see them.
The way the layers of the other characters slowly unfolded was intriguing, and I always appreciated finding out the new little tidbits sprinkled into the story to keep things moving. I will admit I at least partially figured out a few big things in the story, including "whodunnit." Still, I had some other surprises and really stay hooked until the very end.
**There are severe trigger/content warnings for this book. Please check them before reading to ensure a more pleasant reading experience.**
Graphic: Death, Murder, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness
Moderate: Cursing and Suicide
Other TW/CW: marital issues, groomingnodogsonthemoon's review
- 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? It's complicated
3.5
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
bmignano's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Infidelity, Kidnapping, Medical content, and Suicide
onkenzisshelf's review
- 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? Yes
3.75
- Great pacing! I FLEW through this book in a couple of hours.
- Unique, messed up concept. Gave me the chills quite a few times.
- I loved Ginny's character and the complexity behind her emotions about this case.
- Didn't understand the point of the podcast or of the whole Samantha plotline.
- Predictable
You Should Read if You Like:
- Fast-paced thrillers
- My Favorite Murder
Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for providing a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Graphic: Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence
rachelb313'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
4.0
Graphic: Murder and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Rape, Pedophilia, and Kidnapping
kamin8882's review
- 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
4.0
Lila is the perfect wife, her husband Aaron's trophy wife, if you will. She thought when she married him she was finally free from the past that haunts her everyday. After a while, she started to notice Aaron was super controlling and also hiding something very triggering to her. What she finds is devastating and immediately brings back her past. So, she decides to do something about it. However, her plans turn ugly when her husband comes up missing, along with another young lady from the area. She has to try and figure out what happened to him before the cops do.
Even though you know Lila is up to something, the twists in this book were great !! The things uncovered through out the book kept me reading until the end. The end of the book was absolutely unexpected and perfect !! I am so happy I picked this book up. A must read if you love domestic thrillers. !!
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Murder, Rape, and Toxic relationship
texassizedreads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Murder, Emotional abuse, Child death, Child abuse, and Adult/minor relationship