Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin

44 reviews

griskusse's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Death of parent, Child death, Suicide, Murder, Sexual violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Cancer, Emotional abuse, and Sexual harassment

ksalquida's review against another edition

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying and Rape

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Car accident, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Terminal illness

becksreadsbooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Bullying, Car accident, Murder, and Death of parent

Moderate: Child abuse, Alcoholism, Cancer, and Panic attacks/disorders

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 

---

Content Warnings

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

soobooksalot's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

The Night Swim is both a tough read and an unforgettable thriller. 
 It spent far too long on my TBR and once started, I couldn't put it down.
 Rachel Krall is a journalist, famous for her true crime podcast called Guilty Or Not Guilty. For her third season feature, she heads to the resort town of Neapolis to cover a rape trial. 
The victim is a 16-year-old high school student; the accused a 19-year-old swimming star - the case is divisive before the trial has even begun.
 While driving to Neapolis, Rachel happens upon a letter left for her on her windshield. In it, Hannah Stills chronicles the manner in which her sister, Jenny, died in the town 25 years earlier. She is seeking Rachel's help to investigate her case.
 Chapters alternate from Rachel's perspective, to Hannah's, intercut with transcripts from the podcast.
 It's a fascinating take on heart-wrenching subjects. The journeys through both events are intense and emotional, and questions abound if they are linked despite the quarter-century time difference and seemingly random nature. 
 We are taken through the nightmare of a sexual assault; from the event, to investigation, trial and lasting personal impacts.
 I definitely need to backtrack to author Megan Goldin's The Escape Room, and look forward to her future publications.
 Recommended, but do be aware of the content.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Car accident, Child death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts

rachelb313's review against another edition

emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

I thought this worked really well as an audiobook because you got to hear the “podcast” chapters almost like an actual podcast. It tells the story of two girls from the same town 25 years apart. I knew their stories would connect somehow, but the person linking them wasn’t who I expected. I really liked Rachel and Hannah as characters and the ending was satisfying. Would definitely recommend.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Bullying, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, and Murder

Minor: Car accident

ellaisntreading's review against another edition

emotional informative mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, and Grief

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Child abuse

elizabethamarx's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

alylentz's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad medium-paced

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

2.0

I don't really get the hype with this book. It's having important conversations and making good points, but I was really not turning the pages the way I would expect from a thriller or an author people seem to love so much. I felt no real connection with Rachel, the narrator, and as such found myself having a hard time getting emotionally connected to the other characters or even the story being told. There were also just a lot of little nitpicky issues I had--the podcast element wasn't really for me, and I didn't really buy into Rachel on a professional level. For example, she's constantly ducking out of court to investigate the other case or leaving early, but everyone is so into how thorough her podcast is and she's smashing the ratings? After about the 50% mark, I was just reading it to be done. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Chronic illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Sexism, and Terminal illness

Minor: Pedophilia

maiagaia's review against another edition

emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

This was unremarkable but easy to get through. Despite the heavy content (and it is extremely heavy), this was a quick read. The writing style was mediocre, at best. The characters were flat and overly simple. The "twist" was telegraphed way too hard, and there was only the one twist, so it wasn't even a fun ride. The two plots were so tenuously connected that it felt like I was reading two different books.
My overall feeling is just meh. I don't think I'll remember this book next month except maybe as a story so obviously inspired by the Brock Turner case that it felt weird to read.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, and Rape

Moderate: Bullying, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Terminal illness