Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing

8 reviews

jaydub0221's review

dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Stalking

Moderate: Physical abuse, Violence, Body horror, Confinement, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Death, Torture, and Gore

Minor: Child abuse, Cursing, Car accident, Dementia, Self harm, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Vomit, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

katiea714's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Vomit, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Torture, Death, Child abuse, Confinement, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Slavery, Suicide, Blood, Body horror, Kidnapping, Murder, Violence, Addiction, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, and Stalking

Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Gaslighting, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Deadnaming, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Bullying, Alcohol, Car accident, Chronic illness, Classism, and Death of parent

Minor: Alcohol and Vomit

rainstormdragon's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Murder, Kidnapping, and Death

Moderate: Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Violence, Sexual content, Gun violence, Gore, Gaslighting, and Blood

magis1105's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This is a reread for me. I seem to enjoy it more the second time around. All characters are unlikable, but I think they are meant to be. The main characters the married couple, are just two monsters who one should not be together and two definitely shouldn't have chosen to procreate just for the sake of the mental health of those unlucky children.
This is a book that really took me out of my comfort zone. It's definitely unconventional, with some of the most disturbing characters I've ever encountered. I won't spoil much, but let's just say that the author doesn't shy away from exploring the dark corners of the human psyche. It's definitely not a book for everyone, but if you're looking for something that will challenge you and make you question your own assumptions about what's morally acceptable, then this is definitely worth checking out.

The twists in the book were executed brilliantly and the dark humor used to develop the characters was both unsettling and captivating. And yes, the conclusion definitely caught me off guard, you need to suspend your disbelief a bit otherwise it's very unrealistic, but that alone did not dampen my enjoyment. It's always refreshing to come across a book that defies expectations and keeps you on your toes until the very end.

Samantha Downing's debut novel was absolutely incredible and left me eagerly anticipating her next work. The way she crafted the story was truly masterful. As for her character development, I am not too sure, but she has a lot of promise and she can only get better, that alone is enticing enough. Can't wait to see where she takes us next!

Full review can be found at: https://bunkerofbooks05.wixsite.com/bunker-of-books/post/my-lovely-wife

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Content Warnings

Minor: Stalking, Vomit, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Kidnapping, and Death

bootsmom3's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity and Murder

Moderate: Blood, Car accident, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Suicide, and Violence

Minor: Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, and Gun violence

kharlagrace's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, Stalking, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Violence and Sexual content

Minor: Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, and Torture

aleesquer's review

adventurous tense 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? Yes

3.75

Man: I love my wife so much she's so cool and sexy and I would murder people to see her smile
Anyone: so you would be honest to her about like. Basic things then?
Man: no ❤

Pros:

• the characters actually have to deal with being parents, rather than just having kids be in the background
• the relationship between Unnamed Man and Millicent is unexpected and really interesting
• less gore than I expected (this could also be a con, I guess, it depends on the reader)

Cons:

• miscommunication is way too common for it not to be annoying
  Bro, you and your wife kill people together. Would it hurt you to be honest about your credit card payments??
• I didn't actually like the ending? Yes, M is a bad person, obviously, but she clearly wanted the whole "2.5 kids picket fence" thing. Why would she mess that up on purpose? I get her throwing Unnamed Man under the bus to save her skin, but poisoning her kid?
• Unnamed Man cheating seems stupid when 1- it is almost certain she would find out, which he knows, and 2- he's head over heels in love with his wife (which is actually one of the things I enjoyed most about the book)
• Not enough info on Holly, imo

All in all, an enjoyable read! The dynamic between the two main characters was really interesting, and I'm excited to see what Samantha Downing writes in the future. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Stalking, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Dementia, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Alcohol

sophieduncan's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Kidnapping, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Torture, Mental illness, and Forced institutionalization