Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough

51 reviews

rockin_robyn's review

dark mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Animal death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, and Fatphobia

birbmcbirb's review

dark tense fast-paced

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

3.0

Written well and kept me interested, but the ending was disturbingly homophobic and transphobic. Shame, since it started so well.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Addiction, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Stalking

Moderate: Homophobia and Transphobia

jessw17's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Mental illness, Murder, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, and Stalking

Minor: Death of parent, Grief, Pregnancy, Abortion, Sexual content, and Confinement

thecatsmum's review

dark medium-paced

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

2.75

After coincidentally running into and snogging the man who turns out to be her new boss, single mother Louise has an affair with him, and begins an unlikely friendship with his wife. This story is told mostly in alternating Louise and Adele (the wife) POV chapters as the story unfolds.

Honestly, I think it would have been a better book if it was mostly told from Louise's POV for the first half to three quarters of the book or if Pinborough handled Adele's POV chapters better. It felt like the story lost part of its momentum by allowing the reader to know too much too soon.

A bit into the book I realised I had seen the miniseries that was based on the book a few years ago, and I wasn't impressed by the ending then, and I guess I wasn't now. So, despite the prose feeling decent, there were too many problems for me to rate this higher.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Murder, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Suicide, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Classism, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Ableism, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Eating disorder, and Forced institutionalization

chrischellem's review

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Animal death, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Drug use, Alcoholism, and Animal cruelty

gellyreads's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense 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? Yes

5.0

I almost gave this four stars because I feel like the magic element or whatever you want to call it came out of nowhere. But I love the evil MC. They gives me Leave Her to Heaven vibes. And honestly, that last twist did get me tbh.

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Drug abuse, Stalking, Murder, Animal cruelty, Toxic friendship, Drug use, Animal death, and Toxic relationship

andrewhatesham's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.75

Very much a slow burn but the big twist ending made it worth it! Also I listened to the audiobook version and increased the speed so it helped it go by quicker.

It was a little confusing at first, especially with multiple POVs, but I was able to get into it, especially once the plot started to build and got more interesting.

I would say listen to the audiobook if you're thinking of reading this, unless you're good with really slow paced build ups.

The blurb is pretty accurate: "if you think you know where this story is going, think again, because Behind Her Eyes is like no other book you’ve read before." I definitely did not predict the ending, I was shocked.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Toxic friendship, Murder, and Toxic relationship

alisonfaith426's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, Animal death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Alcohol, Sexual content, Body shaming, Death, Stalking, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Self harm, and Classism

Minor: Pregnancy and Confinement

kayemm's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.5

It's important for readers to know that this isn't just a psychological thriller. It's really a parapsychological thriller.

I think the ending is stupid, personally. It felt like a cheap way out. There were so many other good ways to end it. There were so many ways it could have twisted in fabulous directions, and the way it went just felt... Gross and unsatisfying.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Animal cruelty, Abortion, Murder, Animal death, Body shaming, Infidelity, Fatphobia, and Toxic friendship

zeyd's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

0.25

Nope nope nope

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Emotional abuse, Death, Animal death, and Self harm

Moderate: Stalking, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Sexism, and Emotional abuse