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dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This one was so much darker than I expected. If you like flawed characters and emotionally vivid stories exploring fear, sadness, anger, and heartbreak, you might really like this.
Energy: Tension. Dread. Poignancy.
🐕 Howls: I had to skim some scenes because it was so anxiety-inducing (they’re so genuinely horrific my brain doesn’t need any help being paranoid about them!) kidnapping/confinement + forced pregnancy + evil hiding in plain sight .
🐩 Tail Wags: The writing style. The foreshadowing. Exploring how seemingly innocuous, harmless decisions can lead to tragedy. Characters that are deeply flawed and human. Slow but absorbing pace.
Scene: 🏴 London, England
Perspectives (4): We mainly follow the parent of a teen who went missing a decade ago, and the teenager leading up to their disappearance. We also get additional perspectives of a math tutor and the parent’s love interest, who is raising a kid with a striking resemblance to their missing daughter.
Timeline: Then & Now (2005 & 2015)
Narrative: Invisible in the room, overhearing thoughts, being told a story. Reader mostly in-the-know compared to characters (first person or third person objective depending on the character).
Fuel: Finding love after giving up, coping with grief, the circumstances leading to the mystery of the missing daughter. What happened to Ellie? How did the family handle it? W Is her mother seeing what she wants to see in her new relationship? Can she trust her new boyfriend?
Cred: Realistic to plausible
Mood Reading Match-Up:
Old cooking and unwashed hair. Navy blue rucksack. Maths. John Lewis childswear.
- Punchy, reflective, vivid writing style
- Eccentric, flawed, sympathetic, complicated, and unhinged characters
- Slow burn missing person suspense
- Emotionally vivid psychological drama
- Surreal ripped-from-the-headlines feel
- Can-she-trust-him later in life meetcute
- Simmering resentments and unhinged ‘pick me’
- Obsession, stalking, jealousy, loneliness
- High emotional stakes interpersonal drama
- Monsters hiding in plain sight
- Wrong place, wrong time
- Themes of cruelty, depravity, grief, desperation, forgiveness, healing, adversity, parenthood, and choice
Content Heads-Up: Animal death (mention; hamsters). Burglary (home). Child neglect. Custodial dispute. Drugging. Emotional and cognitive issues (childhood). Kidnapping, confinement (room). Loss of child (illness; disappearance). Loss of sibling (as child). Miscarriage (memory). Murder. Parental abandonment. Pregnancy (forced; complications). Psychopathic behaviour. Stalking. Stroke (elderly parent). Suicidal planning, suicide. Torture. Toxic relationship.
Rep: British. Irish British. American British. Cis. Hetero. Freckled, pale, tawny skin tones.
📚 Format: Kindle
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Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Mental illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Stalking
Moderate: Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I had my hand over my mouth - either in shock or horror or sadness - for much of this book. This is the darkest Lisa Jewell I’ve read so far, and incidentally my current favorite. I devoured this book, and I’ll be agonizing about it for a while…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Suicide, Kidnapping
Moderate: Stalking
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So many conflicting feelings about this book. It was a super fast read which I like, but it made me sick to my stomach with dread and sadness at certain points. I think that means it was really well written, but I of course don’t like feeling those things so I was torn on what to rate it.
A lot of people have said it’s predictable and I agree to an extent, but I don’t think the goal of the book was to have a big crazy twist in terms of “who did it” I think the goal was to tell a really tragic story, which it did really well. And while the “main” crime was predictable, there were lots of other little pieces and additions that were not.
The epilogue made me cry in public so be warned.
A lot of people have said it’s predictable and I agree to an extent, but I don’t think the goal of the book was to have a big crazy twist in terms of “who did it” I think the goal was to tell a really tragic story, which it did really well. And while the “main” crime was predictable, there were lots of other little pieces and additions that were not.
The epilogue made me cry in public so be warned.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Kidnapping, Stalking
Moderate: Suicide
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
I figured out the main plot point fairly early and as more and more pieces fell into place I had to decide if I wanted to keep going due to some sever discomfort with how the story plays out. I talked with a friend who read it and was able to determine I would finish it.
If you are searching for Tigger warnings like I was:non-consensual pregnancy happens with a minor. Does not go into detail but is obvious on what has occurred. Chapter 40 is where it takes place
If you are searching for Tigger warnings like I was:
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Suicide, Stalking
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Kidnapping, Stalking
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Torture, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Pregnancy
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Started slow and I was easily distracted, but the last 150pages sold it for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Infertility, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
super fast and engaging read. good characters and plot. twist came early but still had a good ending twist. ending was good but cliffhanger-y (more or less of Lisa’s style)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Pregnancy