Reviews tagging 'Death'

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware

29 reviews

justgraceanne's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

3.75

Love Island and the Bachelor in Paradise meet And Then There Were None and Lost

honestly, it was a blast! as the other reviews say, this book isn't without its problems, but it's an escape. i was hooked and had a great time throughout, even if the twists weren't super twisty.

i was looking for a book with thrills and chills, and this book had them! 

if you're looking for something to get you out of a reading slump, this just might be it!

cw: discussion of abusive relationships, death, grooming, relationship abuse on-page, death, sexism, misogyny
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harleybrewpup's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced
  • 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

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popsicleplease's review against another edition

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

4.25

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thisbookisbananas's review against another edition

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

5.0

Wow.The experience was crazy bananas. I’m usually a pure mystery or cozy mystery girl.I’m so glad I took a chance on this book.That was the most intense thriller I’ve read in a long,long time. I was horrified and tense the whole dang time. It went off the rails fast,but man,if it wasn’t a fantastic ride through and through. 10/10! ::Chefs kiss:: Ticked all the boxes.
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crabcake28's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I highly recommend this on audiobook. I normally don’t like audiobooks but I can guarantee that had I read this physically I wouldn’t have given it as high of a rating. I felt extremely attached to the characters and felt the dread of each and every one of their situations. I had expected more of a “who’s the murderer” or “there’s someone hiding  on the island” but it was straight forward and simple which I surprisingly liked. By the end I was still half expecting some kind of crazy plot twist but (although there was a plot twist) I appreciated that things were what they were. 
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kirstym25's review against another edition

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dark 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

3.25

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dblue236's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Getting a copy of Ruth Ware's newest book is always one of the things I look forward to most, and this one was well worth the wait. With the exception of The Turn of the Key, which remains one of my favorite books of all time, this one may be my favorite of hers to date. It wasn't as much of a challenge to figure out where things were going, but the ride more than made up for that and even though I wasn't all that shocked by the ending, it was still really entertaining. The story played out like a movie in my mind as I was reading, and that's a gift that not a lot of authors possess. I cannot recommend this author highly enough and if you're looking to read one of her books for the first time, this one is a great place to start!
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enzopudge's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • 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

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pambo's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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minimicropup's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.5

Although survival thrillers are rarely for me, I found this one sooo tense and stressful. I hated how it made me feel, but I was captivated!
 
Energy: Hostile. Distressing. Ruthless. 
Scene: 🇮🇩  Set on a small, deserted island outfitted for a new reality tv show off the coast of Jakarta, Indonesia. 
Perspective: We follow a virologist post-doc (30s) asked by their actor-wannabe partner to audition for a new reality show meant to test the strength of a couple’s bond. We also get snippets from the diary of a 22-year old contestant on the show. Leading up to the disaster, emergency radio calls foreshadow what’s to come. 
 
🐕 Howls: The reality tv intrigue  too quickly overshadowed by survival horrors (but that may be a plus for others). The overall book felt a little too long for me.  
🐩 Tail Wags: The characters and how they’re written. The hint of extreme horror energy in certain scenes. Slow and steady pacing. Overall writing style and attention to detail. Atmosphere. 
 
🤔 Random Thoughts:
There are a lot of unlikeable characters. They’ll make you angry; it was tense, pettiness, bickering, chest-puffing stuff especially when things were already high-stakes.  
 
If you want fast-paced action-adventure the ethical cerebral moments may feel like interruptions, but they saved me from being exhausted by all the terrible visceral moments. 
 
The characters and atmosphere formed around me as I was listening. Imogen Church is my fav audio narrator when paired with Ruth Ware’s storytelling style. Expressive but not melodramatic.
 
Prepare for extreme survival horror elements. The injuries and consequences of actions play out much like they would in nature. We get an immersive description of the  smells, sounds, and sights and all the emotional aftermaths. 
 
I got a sense for how many days were passing on the island because it felt like I’d been reading for that long!
 
🤓 Reader Role: Tagging along with Lila who is telling us the story from her perspective. Sometimes we are in her mind and other times watching from afar. Also a bit of a time jumper as we get glimpses into the future. 
🗺️ World-Building: Immersive, layered, and atmospheric. 
🔥 Fuel: What is the real story behind this reality show? What will the other couples be like? Will Nico and Lila’s relationship survive the show? Will the anyone survive?
📖 Cred: Not impossible + hyper-realistic moments
 
Mood Reading Match-Up:
Crystal blue. Warm waves. Soft sand. Tropical summer breeze. Palm forests. Wood oil and fresh paint. Blood. Flies. Salt water. Stale pastry. Decomposition. Body odour. Terror. 
  • Reality TV gone Fyre Festival level wrong
  • Descriptive human vs nature & human vs human survival thriller on a tropical island
  • Ethical exploration and commentary around survival, murder, society, death, relationship abuse, and grief. 
 
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Content Heads-Up: Relationship breakdown. Verbal abuse. Body gore (graphic; blood, injury, wounds, fatalities). Corpse (discovery of, handling). Loss of romantic partner. Tropical storm (waves, destruction, high winds). Violence (physical). Murder. Psychopathy. Adult/minor relationship. Suicide (mention). Abusive partner (controlling, violent). Medical (diabetic shock). 
 
Rep: French. British. Olive, tan, pale skin tones. Gay. Heterosexual. Cisgender. Diabetes. Diverse body sizes. 
 
📚 Format: Library Audio
 
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