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brenxbee's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Grief, Mental illness, Gun violence, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Stalking, Death, and Forced institutionalization
minimicropup's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Imagination Smasher: This author committed a major offenceâŠthey let imagination bloom then stomped on it. Easily could have included location and unique house details earlier in the story because for whatever reason in my mind ALL THE CHARACTERS WERE IN A LAS VEGAS SUBURB WHEN THE AUTHOR DID THAT AND THAT IS NOT WHERE THEY WERE THE WHOLE TIME, NOT EVEN CLOSE.
Graphic: Mental illness, Grief, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, and Mass/school shootings
ems_rxlibrary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Murder, and Mental illness
Moderate: Blood
jasmine256's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Stalking, Gaslighting, and Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse, Mental illness, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Toxic relationship, Death, and Mass/school shootings
liferhi_inspired's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
4.0
đ 3rd Person POV from Elisa & Stalker; Check Triggers
This was a pretty solid domestic thriller. We learn from the very first chapter that thereâs something not quite right, which is only intensified by Elisaâs concerns about her brother-in-law and his missing fiancĂ©. To complicate issues, we also realize that Elisa is battling her own mental illness, which has us and all of the other characters of this story questioning her view of reality.
The gaslighting in this book is is pretty heavy at time, which had me wanting to scream at these characters from time to time. And donât get me started on Elisaâs husband Harris⊠I have so much rage towards him.
And while I wonât spoil anything for you, the last chapter had my jaw on the floor. There were quite a few twists along the way, but that last one I never saw coming.
Graphic: Gaslighting and Mental illness
Moderate: Death
colleensreadingadventures's review
2.75
Graphic: Violence, Gaslighting, Murder, Grief, Death, Stalking, Panic attacks/disorders, and Infidelity
Moderate: Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, and Drug abuse
Minor: Mass/school shootings and Toxic relationship
xlivinglikejen's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Murder
alygarcia's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Mass/school shootings
reading_and_roaming20's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The main issue I took was the constant use of gaslighting against our MC, Elisa. Iâm good with it here or there, but when I say âconstantâ I mean chapter-after-chapter CONSTANT.
While I do love an unreliable narrator, I do not love it so much when it is the barrage of other characters treating her like an unstable, weak head-case, to the point that she is constantly questioning her own sanity, that makes her so unreliable.
Also, wtf with her brother-in-law and his girlfriend constantly letting themselves into her home? Like imagine youâre in your kitchen, enjoying a good, old fashioned mid-day mental breakdown and your brother-in-law walks in. Or how about you just need a night to question your entire life from the comfort of your bathtub and instead you have to cook dinner and entertain your husbandâs family for the third time this week. Um, what?
Listen, there were some good twists. I didnât see the identity of Concerned coming and had a few guesses as to who the mystery narrator might be. It wasnât completely predictable.
Until it was. And then I just wanted the end to end so I could move on. This book could have dropped 100 pages of âwow Elisa, that sounds insane, you really should chillâ and found its way to the same conclusion. Had it been 315-ish pages instead of 415, I may have enjoyed it more.
All-in-all, not a win for me. That said, it sure does seem like Iâm in the minority given its average rating of 3.68 on both @the.storygraph and @goodreads so if it sounds like it may tickle your fancy, it wouldnât hurt to give it a try! Sometimes thrillers hit people differently! (Iâm talking to you, people who didnât love THE SILENT PATIENT. Yâall blow my mind.)
Graphic: Gaslighting and Stalking
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, and Mental illness
kaylasbookgram's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
This is the nightmare Elisa is living. But no one will take her concerns seriously.
I absolutely loved this book with all the twists and suspense. I loved that I wasnât fully sure who the âbad guyâ was until the end because it kept pointing to a few different characters. This was my first Darby Lane book and I canât wait to read more of her work.
Minor: Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Murder, Stalking, and Toxic relationship