Reviews tagging 'Stalking'

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

1006 reviews

oceantombs's review against another edition

3.75

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I will not spoil anything about the book, I will say however that I was shocked of the constant flips of whose side to take on and the ending was not at all what I was expecting… I think this was the first book I genuinely gasped, shook my head in disgust and truly feel uneasy about the ending…I suppose the only spoiler that I will say is this…if you like books where the guy gets the girl and they live happily ever after, this book is not for you.

Was this book good? yes. Was it an enjoyable journey? Yes. Would I recommend it? Eh…depending if someone wants a rollercoaster of emotion then this is a good book but as for me these are the reasons why I rate it a 3.75..

1. Not a happy ending
2. Main character not good but in a twisted way
3. Kills patient
4. Kills wife’s lover but made her 10x worse than she originally was..

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Murder

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Murder, Gaslighting

brooklynpetrilak's review against another edition

5.0

emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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One of the best books I’ve ever read. This is not a traditional take on the mystery/thriller genre. Alex Michaelides focuses on the psychology behind each character and what leads up to the event. There many elements that had to fall in line perfectly in order for it to happen- this is not the “what?” story, but the “why?” story. A key take away from each of his 3 books- is the fact that we are all capable of true evils- if only the exact right set of circumstances and mindsets align.  

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Infidelity, Stalking, Murder

moe_lyon3003's review against another edition

4.25

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Suicide attempt

Minor: Stalking

bamcam's review against another edition

0.5

dark sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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there are a lot of twists and turns in this book and you need to pay attention don’t skip chapters or read ahead as you will get spoiled 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder

greta_cross's review against another edition

5.0

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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A “just one more chapter” page turner.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting

kateschemicalromance's review against another edition

4.25

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Plot twist will leave you shocked

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Child abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Violence, Medical content, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder

castlevanian_lena's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Torture, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder

cupoft's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Violence, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Death of parent

lizii1604's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Sexual harassment

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, Alcohol

Definitely in my top books now. The ending. The plot twist. Exquisite! Highly recommend! Something always felt kinda off but I never knew what I was until the end.

lexieh613's review against another edition

3.75

mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I listened to the audiobook and I thought the narrators were excellent. This book was interesting - a sort of murder mystery but set from the perspective of a therapist rather than a detective. Theo is a psychotherapist who intentionally positions himself to work with Alicia, a woman in a psychiatric hospital who hasn’t spoken in six years after murdering her husband. E have the typical tropes of tortured artist (Alicia), who simply MUST have a mental illness because it gives her art that special creepy something. Side note- this is the second book I’ve read recently with a tortured artist character who can paint “photo-realism” from their mind. As an artist myself who paints in realism, I find this hard to believe, but hey, I only have my own brain for perspective. I just think it’s funny. Theo meanwhile is a therapist with his own deep traumas that drive his biases in his work.

The twist was fun but still left me a bit confused about the main character’s perspective. Does HE have borderline personality disorder? Or is he just an unreliable narrator? I’ll admit I didn’t see it coming, but it did explain the disjointed feeling I got from the chapters about Theo and his wife Cathy, versus the ones about Alicia. I’m not quite convinced that everything comes together and makes sense in the end. Maybe the point is that mental illness is complicated?? Why would anyone continue to narrate in their diary an active break-in that is happening in their home? Also, what was his beef with Christian?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Mental illness, Stalking, Murder

Moderate: Suicide, Suicide attempt

Minor: Car accident, Death of parent