Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

217 reviews

canngrob's review

dark mysterious fast-paced

• 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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Child death, Kidnapping, Confinement, and Child abuse

Moderate: Murder, Pregnancy, Stalking, and Suicide

Minor: Cancer and Death of parent

abeier's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

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

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Child death, Grief, and Kidnapping

tetrootz's review

dark mysterious sad fast-paced

• 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? No

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment

Moderate: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Death, Gaslighting, Terminal illness, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Stalking, Infertility, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Alcohol, Grief, Rape, Murder, Confinement, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Child death, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Violence, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Torture, and Sexual assault

twiller's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Suicide, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Murder, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Death, Infertility, and Toxic relationship

rilvil's review

dark sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Stalking, Child death, Grief, and Child abuse

shannonweiss's review

mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

This was a fast read that I enjoyed reading overall. I had a pretty good guess at what the ending was going to be much sooner than I like in a book, but I still wanted to finish and find out what happened, although it did have some pretty dark and horrifying themes throughout.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Suicide

akoyareads's review

dark emotional sad slow-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

2.5

 
This book didn’t read like a thriller, there was no thrill or suspense, just sadness and desperation for answers. I think that the plot being predictable was intentional. that Everyone told their side of events connecting all the pieces like a lifetime movie.

This book was so devastating I almost cried at the end when I read Ellie’s letter, because she was never given a chance.I had so much hope that she would return to her family even after her remains were found.

But Laurel was a horrible mother and her apology to Hanna felt so so shallow because we knew it truly meant nothing. She still thought that it should’ve been her that was taken, she still thought that Hanna wasn’t as beautiful as Ellie. And even tho I pity Hanna for having such a horrid mother I think dating my missing little sister’s bf is a bit trashy. One great lesson that needs to be learned is that there aren’t just horrible men out there, but women too. Women that will do vile things for the validation of men, those are the women you stay away from because they will go to the earths end for a crumb of 

male validation. 

There was no silver lining to the book just poppy being passed around from one sad shell to the next, and then both trauma dumping on her. You don’t tell her the actual truth about her mother but u tell her that the man that’s been raising her for all those years took his life because of guilt? That didn’t make sense to me.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Miscarriage, and Murder

kmthorson2's review

dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Child abuse

Moderate: Death of parent, Torture, Death, Dementia, Violence, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Medical content, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Stalking, Sexual assault, Slavery, Miscarriage, Grief, Eating disorder, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Murder, Animal death, Self harm, Rape, and Domestic abuse

tyreadsbooks_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

5.0

⟡Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell⟡

★★★★★ 5/5 stars!

⟡ synopsis

Ellie Mack was 15 years old when she disappeared & was declared a runaway. 10 years later, her mother, Laurel, still doesn’t believe it. When she meets a man in a cafe & starts spending time with him & his daughter, she can’t help noticing odd coincidences. She begins to question everything - What happened to Ellie? Where did she go? Who still has secrets to hide?

⟡ Read if you like :

-I Know Who You Are by Alice Feeney 

-Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica 

-dark, unsettling psychological thrillers

-short chapters

-missing persons cases

-suspicious new boyfriends

-seriously twisted characters 

⟡ my thoughts

This is one I can’t believe I haven’t read yet - I went in completely blind, other than knowing I love Lisa Jewell. I was positively hooked from beginning to end. 

This book isn’t a whodunnit. We find out early on the “who”  - but it’s the journey of figuring out the why & how that makes it fascinating. It felt like I was in on a secret. Jewell does a great job of slowly giving you bits of information from each of the POVs - just enough to keep you connecting dots & turning pages. This story unfolded so bizarrely. There is a great blend of suspense, suspicion & grief. All of the characters are very well written & developed, I found myself equally drawn to each narrative.

The last line was so incredibly moving, a heartbreaking & bittersweet ending.

I’d call Then She Was Gone an absolute must read for psychological thriller fans!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Stalking, Confinement, Miscarriage, Murder, Child death, and Suicide

dr_aebsouza's review

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I wasn't sure at first how much of a thriller it would be. But it turned out to be quite the roller coaster ride.

I enjoyed that the who-dunnit aspect didn't turn out the way I'd expected and (without spoiling it) flipped the stereotype on it's head. 

I love the then/now perspectives and the way the story is told from multiple points of view. 

Lisa Jewell is a terrific writer who comes up with chillingly good plots. This book is no exception. 

⭐4.75

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Confinement, Child death, Infertility, Emotional abuse, and Murder

Minor: Rape, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Stalking