Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

None of This is True by Lisa Jewell

231 reviews

lucyrudd's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• 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: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

carolinekaden's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Violence, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

nahal3's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Pandemic/Epidemic

eccentric_kam's review against another edition

mysterious tense 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

3.0

I read this book because of a book club. I found almost no character likable in this book. It should come as no surprise that it was true to its title and unreliable narrator was obviously unreliable. By the end of it I did not know what to believe and I'm not sure that I cared at that point. I think part of the reason I did not find it enjoyable is that it was hard to connect with the characters.

I could tell immediately after that bathroom encounter that Josie was a few cans shy of a six pack. And the way Alix just does not seem to have any survival skills about her throughout the whole book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Mental illness

Minor: Drug use and Pedophilia

rschaffer_36's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

4.25

I loved the different perspectives of Josie and Alix throughout the book as well as the excerpts from "Hi! I'm your birthday twin!".  So many questions and mysteries which kept me reading. I found the struggles of Alix and Josie's lives to feel relatable in the right ways.

Even though early on you know something is going to happen to Nathan not knowing exactly what or how kept me reading. The ending with Josie saying the Brook was killed by Roxie was confusing and the best ending to a book where you don't know if you can trust anything that Josie says. It felt real enough to be true, but also so much like a lie that Josie would say to herself to feel better about being a murderer.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Pedophilia

Minor: Bullying, Mental illness, and Pandemic/Epidemic

kteliza28'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? N/A

4.0

This was a good audiobook listen for true crime lovers. The actual story was interesting and the way it’s told from multiple perspectives and in different formats was really cool. The actual story is predictable but still leaves some mystery and kept me interested. I would say the ending was quite lacking as it dragged on and seemed to conclude four or five separate ways without giving the reader a true ending feeling. The conclusion just feels…missing. Still a good read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Alcohol

lakeofwords's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No

3.0

I'm not gonna lie, I'm conflicted on this one.
While it was thrilling and a definite page turner, I reeeeeaally do not like how

an abuser ended up being portrayed as a nice guy in the end. I also do not like how this tries to perpetuate the myth of a child being able to "seduce" a grown ass forty five year old man??? Because she was, what? Deranged?

Fuck that noise. That's some pedo apologist bullshit.
That left a bitter taste in my mouth.
I did like the book other than that, it was a good read, it had me hooked from start to finish, but these aspects just grossed me out a lot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Blood, Stalking, and Murder

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic

lesliermonk's review against another edition

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? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

corriejn's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

4.75

A dark but artfully crafted psychological thriller. An excellent balance of foreshadowing and details slowly revealed over time. The audiobook is very well produced, and the book lends itself well to that format.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

fkshg8465's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.5

Wow. The creep and ick factor were so high in this book that I need to start another book right away to cleanse my brain’s palate. How else will I sleep tonight?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic