Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

The House of My Mother by Shari Franke

115 reviews

sare1125's review against another edition

5.0

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Gaslighting

Moderate: Infidelity, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Stalking, Pregnancy

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment

mlindsay27's review against another edition

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As someone who didn't really know this family other than coming across a few of their videos many years ago, It was interesting to hear about what the family was like from before they began YouTube to being YouTube famous to the mother being arrested for abuse and after. It's horrendous what the children had to go through for years and I'm glad that Shari decided to not name her siblings in the book to protect them and to allow them to tell their own story if they want to in the future

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail

caseythereader's review against another edition

3.25

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

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Thanks to Gallery Books for the free copy of this book.

 - I was generally familiar with the Franke story, having seen the headlines when Ruby was arrested. I did not know the extent to which a cult was involved, though, and read this memoir with my jaw dropped.
- You can unfortunately tell that this book is a bit of a rush job. The writing is plain and the telling, well, rushed.
- I can appreciate that Shari wanted to protect her siblings who are still minors, and therefore she does not go into detail about what happened to anyone except her and her oldest brother. But like, that’s why people are buying the book, friend.
- What I’m saying is I’d like to have seen this book five or ten years from now instead of more or less just months into the aftermath.
 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Abandonment

Moderate: Homophobia, Miscarriage, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail

ebj3788's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad fast-paced

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment

Shari does not describe any of the CW in graphic detail even though the severity of the actual situation was extreme.

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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a good way for the author to tell her side of the story 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship

hyuneybear's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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I always have a difficult time rating memoirs because I don't like to put people's life experiences on a rating scale. For this one, I'll leave it starless.

I never followed 8 Passengers on YouTube, so I had no prior knowledge of the Franke family. I picked this book up purely on a whim to fulfill a 2025 reading challenge prompt. I was not prepared to be absolutely sitting on the edge of my seat throughout the entirety of it. The House of My Mother is a glimpse into the ethical challenges and dangers of family vlogging. As other children of well known family vloggers/influencers grow up, I highly doubt that Shari's memoir will be the last of its kind.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment

Moderate: Cursing, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Abandonment

hva09's review against another edition

4.25

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

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This was a difficult book to read. I appreciated Shari’s perspective and positive outlook. It was interesting and made me think about how I can improve my own parenting. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting

pianokeys's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting

mondovertigo's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Abandonment

Moderate: Homophobia, Physical abuse

mermommymoni's review against another edition

4.5

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

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Memoirs are wierd to rate. This was really good. She did an incredible job of telling her story in a way that was real and true to how she wanted to share it. I really appreciated her honesty and her respect for her sibling’s privacy and allowing them to tell their story…if/when they are ready.  Heartbreaking story. Audio is the way to go. Hearing the story directly from the author and person who experienced it makes that much better. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting

Moderate: Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Miscarriage