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Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
I kid you not when I say this is literally one of the most messed-up books I have ever read. The Liars series had bad stuff like this IN those books, BUT THE PLOT TWISTS MADE SENSE. This book literally feels like a fever dream. I can’t even put it into words. The only thing I can say is that it spellbound me. I literally COULD NOT put it down, I HAD to know how it ended. Just…I can’t. I don’t know what else to say. This book sucked.
Revisited (4.0 stars):
Yes, I reread it. And BOY OH BOY, I was READY for it this time.
I think that for books like this, you really have to know what you're getting into. You need to know what level of disgusting, messed-up crap is gonna be in these types of books before
That being said, for this genre? Then She Was Gone is MASTERFUL in its storytelling, and I think it paved the way for a lot more books like it, like I Invited Her In by Adele Parks. I'll have to fact-check that, but the two fall in the same category. However, where I Invited Her In is basically just a bunch of things happening in quick succession, Then She Was Gone is actually a narrative that is woven through multiple different time frames, and just about EVERYTHING ties together in the end. It's very smart, and honestly just very good writing.
Ellie is very well-written for being a teenager, and no one can fault her for the mistakes she makes that lead to her downfall. You can feel genuinely bad for her and what she goes through down in that basement.
Floyd, Laurel, and Poppy are all VERY well-rounded characters, and I liked them a lot. Not much to say on that front. Laurel and Poppy's relationship is very sweet, especially in the end.
I would probably rate this book higher, but we have history. Maybe I'll revisit it sometime in the future for a higher rating, but for now, I'm satisfied with what we have.
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Kidnapping
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, Murder
Minor: Physical abuse, Violence
Graphic: Confinement, Pregnancy, Gaslighting
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping
Minor: Suicide
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment
Most of the "twists" are revealed in the first half of the book and the second half is just an in depth look into what happened. I read and read hoping something more would happen, but was sadly disappointed.
Jewell, in her acknowledgements says that this is either "brilliantly bizarre, or just bizarre." And I have to agree. I love thrillers, but this was just an awfully sad story about a girl who is kidnapped.
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Miscarriage, Sexual content, Pregnancy
Minor: Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Death of parent
Graphic: Confinement, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Stalking
Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Murder, Pregnancy
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Kidnapping
Minor: Animal cruelty, Toxic relationship
Graphic: Child death, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Stalking, Pregnancy