Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

158 reviews

dark emotional sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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emilyyyhillsss's profile picture

emilyyyhillsss's review

3.0
challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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richarawrites's profile picture

richarawrites's review

2.0
challenging emotional sad medium-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: No

The pacing was a bit slow, but I liked the story. I did feel a bit of deja vu while reading it, which immensely took me out of the story.

It’s a very sad story which leaves you wondering how anyone will find out the truth. I found empathy for Ellie, she really didn’t deserve what happened to her. I wish the tutor wasn’t so callous, but I understood the reasoning behind her shitty behavior. There are many women in this world who are exactly like the tutor, so she was the most believable character for me. As was Ellie. She was just a child, with her whole life ahead of her, as so many real children are. I feel for these two characters the most, as I felt like I spent the most time with them.

With that being said, Floyd could have been written better. It felt like shit was just happening to him and he was just accepting it. The only time he really stood up for himself was when he
killed the tutor,
and even that came out of nowhere. There was no buildup to that supposed burst of anger. He’s really just a boring character with no backbone.

I wish we had spent more time with Laurel finding out what a shit mom she’d been and making amends with her children, even Ellie. I hated the tutor explaining things to the reader. We’ve established she’s an unreliable narrator, so there could have been a second pov for certain events. I also wish we spent more time with the sister and how she started dating her boyfriend. That would’ve been a nice plot point instead of breezing past it:

The ending, I felt, was rushed. We don’t spend too long on everyone’s emotions or sitting with them as they learn the truth of what happened to their family member.

Overall, the book was an emotional letdown. I was expecting more emotionally from the characters given the nature of the story.

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helloscandal's profile picture

helloscandal's review

3.0
dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Soooop slow but it was fun to piece the events together. The back and forth between narrators and time period was a bit confusing at times.

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fast-paced

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hannahrdt's profile picture

hannahrdt's review

1.75
dark tense
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No

3.5 stars for writing. 1 star for story and content. I would never have picked up this book if it wasn’t a book club book 

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

An enjoyable thriller, that despite being predictable, remained an engaging read.

Whilst none of the characters are lovable in the traditional sense they are well explored which adds depth to the story.

The ending is what both Laurel and Poppy deserved but I couldn't help feeling some sympathy for Floyd. A good entry thriller, but if you enjoy shocking twists and turns maybe give this one a miss.

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dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No

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sophieamreacher's review

4.75
challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Brilliant, twisted, dark, sad. A real page turner. 

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Loveable characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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