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madluck's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Infidelity, Murder, Toxic relationship, Violence, Torture, Death, Domestic abuse, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Stalking
katiea714's review against another edition
- 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
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
corpseparty's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Torture, Stalking, Self harm, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, and Kidnapping
rainstormdragon's review
- 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
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
hamletslover's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Murder, Infidelity, Gaslighting, and Stalking
magis1105's review against another edition
- 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 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
Minor: Stalking, Vomit, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Kidnapping, and Death
cinderellasbookshelf's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
3.5
An unnamed narrator, who sometimes goes by “Tobias,” and his wife, Millicent, have led a fairly normal life in their well-to-do neighborhood raising their two children, Rory and Jenna. The only excitement they feed off of each other however, is that they kill people. And this isn’t the first time they have done this.
The single POV narration gave me Joe Goldberg/You vibes. It was eerie how he thought and processed things so calmly, along with some occasional frustrations when it’s related to his children’s growing pains. Even the way he and Millicent would plot or talk about the murders was unsettling. It kind of reminded me of the two characters from Alfred Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt who would casually talk about how they would kill each other, except Millicent and Tobias’s actual plans felt more disturbing. You can feel the violent undertones even though most of the action happens off page and is only referenced in news reports.
Compared to other thrillers, this is less action heavy and is more focused on Tobias’s life than the actual murders. The suspense is beneath the surface where the underlying tension that brews from domesticity and its mundanity brings up a magnitude of questions: who is your spouse, what are they doing when you’re not together, who are your children, are they the way they are because of you? And the bigger question, how did I get here?
I’m kind of torn between if I liked the book overall or not. I liked the concept and how it’s different from most thrillers, but I also wanted it to have more punch because after a while there is only so much about a person’s daily home life you can take. It was a page turner though.
Minor: Child abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Stalking, and Suicide
nickoliver's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Kidnapping, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Stalking, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Torture
Minor: Alcohol, Car accident, Gun violence, and Sexual content
moonwaterotter'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
All said, I did mostly enjoy it. I had an actually wtf moment halfway through the book and it was the biggest highlight for me.
And now here’s a list of my thoughts that is FULL of spoilers.
I immediately knew that Millicent was the “evil sister” growing up and waiting for the main character to realize that was absolutely agonizing.
I literally said “what the f-uck” out loud whenever they announced that Trista killed herself. Like at this point, I thought maybe she had helped Owen in the past (and maybe she did honestly who knows) but that’s not what I was expecting.
I also figured out Millicent was poisoning Jenna almost immediately. I thought the book was going to climax with Millicent saying she had kidnapped and killed all of the women because she was an Owen fan-girl and that she and Owen were going to murder Jenna together or something.
I thought Kekona was going to be the third victim and the cops were going to catch him at her house or something. I also thought the descriptions of Kekona were a bit strange and didn’t really sit right with me. (As well as the description of Trista’s sister at the funeral.)
I think it’s pretty fucked that the main character never tells Andy that he KNOWS WHY his wife killed herself.
The ending is cheeky but I wish they both died, not just Millicent.
Graphic: Suicide, Kidnapping, Cursing, Physical abuse, Violence, Murder, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Stalking, Torture, Car accident, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
markedwithanm's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Stalking, and Infidelity
Minor: Dementia and Death of parent