Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

That's Not My Name by Megan Lally

8 reviews

madelynowil's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Absolutely chilling, incredible stuff. Recommend to anyone who enjoys thrillers/mysteries. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Stalking, Emotional abuse, and Violence

Minor: Vomit

saraavowlerr's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Physical abuse, Car accident, Death, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Blood, Child death, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, and Violence

greatexpectations77's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I loved this book so MUCH. It's rare that I feel such love and tenderness for male characters, but Max and Drew just stole my heart. I cried so much at the last few scenes lol I thought it was a really smart depiction of trauma and grief and kind of the community mob mentality of being totally for or totally against you. Drew was so steadfast in his search, and Max was such a helpful himbo, and it was just so great. Cannot WAIT to see more from Ms. Lally.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Blood, Child death, Death, Child abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Body shaming, Car accident, Confinement, and Physical abuse

Minor: Stalking

nemonobody11's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Major spoilers!!!



To begin with, I must say that I was able to predict one of the plot twists early on. Specifically, I surmised that the man responsible for kidnapping and murdering young girls was doing so in an attempt to find a "replacement" for his deceased daughter. However, I was uncertain of how the author would incorporate the fate of his daughter into the story - whether she had passed away tragically or fallen ill and he was seeking out girls who resembled her. It took me some time to realize that the perspective of Madison, one of the protagonists, was not that of Lola, but rather of another girl who had been taken captive. I believe the author skillfully executed the plot twist and built up to the final reveal quite effectively. All in all, I found this story to be quite enjoyable and would be interested in reading more from Megan in the future.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, Child abuse, Death, Child death, and Grief

Moderate: Blood, Confinement, Stalking, and Mental illness

rcarr14's review

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Blood

Moderate: Murder, Kidnapping, Body horror, Child death, and Death

Minor: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Stalking, and Gore

amalauna's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

You might see the end coming for awhile.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, and Confinement

Moderate: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny

Minor: Bullying, Blood, Murder, Emotional abuse, Violence, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, and Car accident

jlhunkins's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Violence, and Grief

Minor: Confinement, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, and Trafficking

katiesbeengone's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

This book was a gripping read from the first page, with plenty of tense moments and a plot that has the reader second-guessing everything they are being told. 

The book utilise dual narrators, following amnesiac Mary who feels unsure about the father she has been reunited with and prime-murder-suspect Drew who is seeking answers to clear his name in the disappearance of his girlfriend Lola. 
This narrative drives the plot and introduces the reader to various clues to piece together the full picture and a couple of red-herrings along the way - all of which leading to the satisfying twist ending (and even if you are like me and guess the twist early on, reading to the conclusion is still an enjoyable experience as you will quickly get invested within the story and grow attached to the characters). 

If I'm being really picky certain references, such as an early mention of Lizzo being good music taste, will likely date the book in the future (I'm thinking of the current controversy and how this might impact perceptions) however popular culture references can really help solidify some realism. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this story and it's a really strong debut for Megan Lally, I look forward to seeing what she writes next!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting and Kidnapping

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Child death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Murder, and Violence

Minor: Stalking and Car accident