Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

62 reviews

kathleendayle's review against another edition

sad slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Classism

Minor: Death of parent

sundayfever's review

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

I wanted to love this book, but it just didn't do it for me. There was no suspense or unexpected plot twist. I knew within the first few chapters what had happened, so it was just waiting for the whole rest of the book for the characters to figure it out. Love the setting in Downeast Maine & Atlantic Canada, and the characters were sweet. But not as engaging a read as I'd hoped. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, and Murder

Minor: Vomit

bites_of_books's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

The story of Ruthie and Joe is so sad and so necessary. I loved the writing and the complex characters. It would be easy to be set against the kidnapping family, but even with those characters, there was complexity throughout the book. 
Ruthie's journey is hard to read, mostly because of the gaslighting that she endures. I think many things did happen to her and she didn't get to have much agency, but that felt like a big part of the point of the story in this case. 
Joe was a potentially unlikeable character who did grow for me and his story is truly heartbreaking. His emotional journey was difficult to connect to at times but there were certain moments that were so heartfelt and real for me that I couldn't help but want to just wrap him up in a blanket.
I'd love to read more of Peters' books! I simply loved her writing, at times I was so wrapped up in it that I did forget everything that was going on around me. That's a great book for me! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol

bellarosereads's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Although you sort of know the end from the start, I sobbed through the last 30 pages or so. 

Overall, while I was interested in Norma/Ruthie's story in terms of how she ended up learning the truth but not as much what happened to her. I found Joe's inner life and the ramifications of Ruthie's disappearance and his other life mistakes and tragedies more compelling.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, Violence, and Death of parent

Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Racism, Kidnapping, Car accident, and Gaslighting

sehenry20's review

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence, Kidnapping, and Grief

Moderate: Homophobia, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Gaslighting

csick22's review

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Kidnapping, Grief, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Racism

Minor: Homophobia

lahars_little_library's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Racism, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Homophobia, Infertility, Racial slurs, Trafficking, Outing, and Alcohol

hellokriti's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infertility, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Classism

bookish_itineraries's review

emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This is a beautiful and sorrowful book that shines a light on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, pieces of the Indigenous experience, and the complexity of love and belonging. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Kidnapping, Grief, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Colonisation

panickat123's review

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Terminal illness, Kidnapping, Grief, and Alcohol

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racism, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting