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samdalefox's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This is just a bad book all around. The praise quoted on the front of the book are all lies. This is an extremely poor imitation of genuinely good thrillers like 'The Talented Mr Ripley'. Poor writing, poor pacing, flat characters, and zero twists. Everything was obvious from the first chapter. I sped read the last third and only completed it because I was reading it on a plane.
Also this would have been so much more compelling if it leaned more into Lucy and Alice having a genuine romantic relationship, rather than perpetuating the toxic trope of “all lesbians are bad and crazy and unhealthily obsessed with their female friends”.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting and Toxic friendship
Minor: Mental illness, Colonisation, Car accident, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, and Panic attacks/disorders
shayda's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Books with unreliable narrators are always fun, by which i mean i wanted to throw it across the room.
It was very well written, all the pieces fall into place neatly, making your stomach drop. I have a hard time with books where the villain wins and the emotions it provoked goes it show how invested i was in the story.
The themes of obsessive female friendships was fun to explore. It had an interesting snapshot of colonialism at this time, her husbands sucks ass, creepy pedo. Cant say i blame her for getting rid of him, just found her actions thereafter cruel.
It was sad but i guess realistic in showing the gaslighting that thrives when people want to get rid of women with mental illnesses and want to label them a mad woman. She truly had no chance poor girl.
The writing was gripping and plot was well executed!
It was very well written, all the pieces fall into place neatly, making your stomach drop. I have a hard time with books where the villain wins and the emotions it provoked goes it show how invested i was in the story.
The themes of obsessive female friendships was fun to explore. It had an interesting snapshot of colonialism at this time, her husbands sucks ass, creepy pedo. Cant say i blame her for getting rid of him, just found her actions thereafter cruel.
It was sad but i guess realistic in showing the gaslighting that thrives when people want to get rid of women with mental illnesses and want to label them a mad woman. She truly had no chance poor girl.
The writing was gripping and plot was well executed!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Ableism, Colonisation, Gaslighting, and Forced institutionalization
hannahlnh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-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
4.0
I found this book really enjoyable and was delighted by a female-led vintage mystery. I subtracted some points for some problematic tropes though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Toxic friendship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Infidelity, Grief, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Death, and Colonisation
Moderate: Violence
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