Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

None of This is True by Lisa Jewell

85 reviews

akshade's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, Infidelity, Death, Addiction, Cursing, Gaslighting, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Child abuse, and Alcoholism

jakirby's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Drug use, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Murder, Addiction, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Incest, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Pedophilia, and Physical abuse

rose_reads_at_dusk's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Stalking, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Addiction, Cursing, Incest, Murder, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic

buzzabelle08's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Chronic illness, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Alcohol, Addiction, and Alcoholism

jenniferpalmblad's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, and Child abuse

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Domestic abuse, Incest, Kidnapping, Murder, Addiction, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Stalking

hxlleann's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Violence, Physical abuse, and Pedophilia

bookedandbusy's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

The plot twists in this had my head spinning! I absolutely loved the mixed media aspect we got from the podcast and news story segments. Right when I thought I had it figured out, another plot twist came and I was shocked every time! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism

ains_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious fast-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Child abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction

Minor: Suicide

sizzlesteaks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Murder, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Child abuse, Child death, Drug use, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

dusktreader's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

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

Jewell does a good job of creating tension and twists and in that way it’s a well-crafted book. I found it compelling and wanted to keep reading and found some of the ambiguity and questions the book were really interesting to think about, like

who really killed Brooke and why, and who knew what about it. The audio narration and production was really engaging. 

I had a lot of trouble with the position the book put me in as a reader where

we are set up to question whether Josie was groomed by an older man and whether it was not his fault after all if she made advances at him. It’s already so disgustingly common for people to doubt and question survivors of abuse, and look for ways that even children must have done something to deserve it, and just write it off. I was so uncomfortable being put in that position.

 

I think Jewell could have created the same experience for readers of a character who is either trapped and desperate or an evil mastermind or somewhere in between without leaning on common misconceptions about abuse, or by subverting them instead of conforming to them, which I think is a real missed opportunity and could have been a much stronger book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Abandonment, Addiction, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Grief, Child abuse, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Stalking, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Blood, Misogyny, Murder, Death, and Emotional abuse