Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

143 reviews

passionatereader78's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

A tragic story with a happy ending. Reading this book was heartbreaking. A family falls on hard times and let's the wrong people move in. The  Irresponsible Adults were ruining their children's lives by abusing and starving them. This is a must read thriller. There were so many Twist and turns in this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Confinement, and Abandonment

Minor: Animal cruelty, Violence, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault

batcaves's review against another edition

dark 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Confinement, Adult/minor relationship, Abortion, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Animal death, Rape, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Infertility, Child abuse, Death, Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Infidelity, Murder, Sexual assault, Violence, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, and Chronic illness

peeshpish's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

It was a slow start but once it picks up, it moves fast. The story flows well once the three POVs become more closely intertwined & the connections are more clear. There are many twists & turns along the way, & the story continues to develop until the very last sentence. Libby’s POV is an often needed relief from the heaviness of the other two, much less tense but still moves the story forward. Many characters felt flat or aligned with stereotypes that I’d expect more from a book written earlier than one written in 2019, but I still ended up reading most of the book in one sitting so I was definitely invested.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Murder, Grief, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Confinement, and Death

Moderate: Abandonment, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, and Misogyny

Minor: Suicide, Homophobia, Medical content, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Infertility, Medical trauma, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Blood, and Pedophilia

Lucy’s chapters are heavy with

sexual assault & domestic violence. She is raped & murders her attacker. If it helps to know, she is not punished for killing him.

The chapters set in the past (labelled “Chelsea, [year]”) contain a lot lf

child abuse, domestic violence, & are where most of the content warnings come into play.

Libby’s chapters are generally safe for content, mostly vague details about the fate & story of the people who lived in the house she inherits.

thekiwibibliophile's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

I am officially a Lisa Jewell fan! I have read one other book by her & this proves it was not just a fluke. I love a multiple POV & this book had 3, as well as different narrators for each POV. I love the tension that is built in these books & that there is always enough pay off but not EVERYTHING is wrapped up in a bow. Kept me gripped!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Suicide, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Abandonment

opheliafrey's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Rape

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Confinement

jaydub0221's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Murder, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Rape, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Death

Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, Deportation, and Homophobia

pausbookshelf's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse

lydiak07's review against another edition

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Pregnancy, and Emotional abuse

theimposter's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Death, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, and Miscarriage

kendahlia3's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense

3.75

I usually hate the dual pov but I found all three perspectives impossible to stop listening to, especially with the reveals of unreliable narration. While I predicted a big twist, there were still huge moments that caught me off guard so it was a fun listen. Some scenes were really dark, so not for the faint of heart, but very captivating. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Child abuse, and Confinement

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Murder, and Domestic abuse