Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Hidden Pictures: A Novel by Jason Rekulak

36 reviews

zosiablue's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I just...😬. I don't know! This was a fun thriller with the added bonus of beautiful drawings interspersed. But the twists were so improbable, the characters so cringily stereotyped, and it didn't land. If the author had leaned into the genre instead of trying to elevate it, I think he would've been more successful. Instead, it's kind of a ghost story, psycho-thriller, addict's redemption tale, and class commentary mushed into an admittedly interesting framework. But it just all felt...off.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Addiction, Classism, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Grief, Infidelity, Murder, Alcohol, and Mental illness

myriam_almonti's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious sad fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Violence, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Hate crime, Drug use, Infidelity, Murder, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Xenophobia and Car accident

Minor: Miscarriage and Racism

blacksphinx's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, and Addiction

Moderate: Infidelity, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Car accident, and Gaslighting

molliecule's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

5.0

Wow. Hidden Pictures is just creepy enough, well-paced, and kept me on the edge of my seat. The twist shocked me and I didn't see it coming!

I am so happy that the ending was good and only Caroline and Ted die. I was so sad when it was almost Mallory, but the ending is just what you are hoping for. So glad about the whole thing!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Murder, Car accident, Drug abuse, Death, Death of parent, Addiction, and Mental illness

szyca's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, Addiction, Murder, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Grief, Infertility, Gaslighting, and Infidelity

xenalia's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

4.0

I loved most of this book. It kept my interest. It was creepy, mainly bc of the pics. It kept me guessing. 

However, the main character’s name bothered me. Mallory Quinn? You mean like, Quinn Mallory? From Sliders? (90’s tv show with Jerry O’Connell) That was all I could think every time I heard her name. As a huge fan of Sliders, I really wanted her to say “yea, my mom was a huge fan of the show and named me after the main character) 
(Ok. I know that’s a stupid thing to let bother me) 

Anyway, I kept trying to figure out what was going on, who is the ghost, what does it want, who did it?! 

I loved this book up until the last part. Then, well, I didn’t hate it but it seemed like a different book. It didn’t line up with how I wanted the book to end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Sexual harassment, Murder, Death, Drug use, Infertility, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Classism, Death of parent, Addiction, Grief, and Infidelity

toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

2.5

This had potential, and I was really genuinely enjoying it until about the last 100 pages or so. There's really not much I can say about what I didn't like about this book with this review remaining spoiler free, but I'll try to be as cryptic as possible. It really guts me that this was a 5 star prediction lol

First though, I do want to bring up its merits, because I think that it has some.

Things I liked: It's set in a small town based on a real town that not only is near to where I live but that I've been to several times and it mentions several landmarks that are familiar to me. I also liked the illustration elements and how they get spookier and spookier as the book goes on.

Things I didn't like: Pretty much everything else but especially the big plot twist at the end. Absolutely the stupidest thing in the world. Made half of the book absolutely pointless. This could've been edited down to just 200 pages and it would've been better and not as much of a waste of time.

I only add the half a star because I have a soft spot for the small town that the book is based on.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Racism, Fatphobia, Car accident, Infertility, Drug use, Addiction, Death, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Xenophobia, Excrement, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Transphobia, Child death, and Infidelity

Moderate: Sexual content and Sexual assault

Minor: Rape

livvmarks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Classism, Cursing, Infidelity, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Body horror, Car accident, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Infertility, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Transphobia, and Xenophobia

foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Kidnapping, Death, Xenophobia, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Addiction, and Murder

Minor: Infertility and Infidelity

ozeankind's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Addiction

Moderate: Grief, Car accident, Murder, Kidnapping, and Racism

Minor: Miscarriage, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Gun violence, Infertility, and Infidelity