Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin

89 reviews

daniellamariee's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Misogyny

alicialoebl's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad fast-paced

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

5.0

Keeps you building towards the end reveal, I really liked the shifting perspective and original concept 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Murder

mirandareadsca's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Cancer, Car accident, and Death of parent

booksof_fern's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Car accident, and Death of parent

Minor: Suicide

starletise's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

I have quite mixed feelings about this book. I struggled with the shifts between the story being told in the first and third person, along with chapters that were podcast dialogue. Because of those shifts, I also felt there was a lot of repetitiveness of information throughout. However, the story was incredibly powerful and highlights the ‘slut-shaming’ of women and discusses the trauma associated with rape trials. I appreciated that the book didn’t try to stay impartial and almost outright stated the injustices that exist in rape trials and the reliving of trauma that victims experience. There were definitely sections of the book that were incredibly difficult to read, but I felt the author treated both the characters and the subject matter compassionately. If you’re looking for a page turning thriller, this wouldn’t be the first book I would recommend. There are also several strong trigger warnings, some of which include sexual assault, domestic violence and death.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Car accident, Death of parent, and Murder

paperbackhearts's review against another edition

dark informative tense fast-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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Death of parent

bayleereads's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I’m not big into thrillers and mysteries but this was SO GOOD! It was hard for me to put down at times because I couldn’t stop reading! The story is heart-wrenching and it’s so well written. I loved Rachel’s character so much— I wish her podcast was real! Really an amazing true crime novel! The only part I disliked was that there’s so many characters and it’s told from technically three points of view so it can get confusing. BUT OVERALL 10/10 RECOMMEND!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, and Sexual assault

plantbasedbride's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

2.0

 A courtroom drama blended with a fast-paced thriller with quite a bit of graphic and dark content. Please check trigger warnings before jumping into this one!

I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I enjoyed the courtroom and podcast elements of the storytelling and felt that the subject matter explored is incredibly important (rape culture, victim-blaming, slut-shaming, double standards, consent, and the retraumatization involved in pursuing justice). On the other hand, the amount of detail involved in the descriptions of the repeated violence felt exploitative and too much like trauma porn for my taste.

This was an interesting read and quite well-paced, but I would recommend Know My Name by Chanel Miller for a nonfiction exploration of these same themes from someone who experienced similar trauma first hand.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Violence

Moderate: Bullying and Death

slut-shaming, loss of a parent, misuse of the term schizophrenic (by a nurse, of all people)

motherelectricity's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexual violence, and Grief

Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, and Terminal illness

Minor: Sexual assault, Violence, and Kidnapping

adriennne's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Rape, and Sexual assault