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alek_n's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Domestic abuse, Blood, Murder, Physical abuse, Torture, and Body horror
jhbandcats's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I know this was a labor of love by Sarah Gailey so I *really* wanted to like it. I did not like it at all.
I see that a lot of people have said the book was character-driven. I felt Vera was such an unreliable narrator that I couldn’t trust any personality or character she presented. I therefore felt the plot was more important.
I was so-so on the book till that wild ending. It was so over the top that it ruined what had come before. I felt the strongest parts were about the peephole, Vera’s relationship with her father, and the mystery of how much her father knew / approved of her using the peephole. I felt the supernatural parts were the weakest and I found James the artist to be more of an annoying diversion than anything really integral to the story.
Minor quibbles re editing: there is a lot of emphasis on there being no locks on the bedroom and bathroom doors but there’s a comment, “The door was locked.” It’s also clear that it’s the middle of a hot and humid summer, but the A/C is on high making it cold inside. Vera says, “I would have turned the heat up….” The artist lives in the shed some distance from the house yet he tells Vera, “I hear you in the night sometimes.” Finally, I got really tired of the phrase, ”the house her father had built.”
I am really sorry I didn’t like this because I’ve read almost all Gailey’s books and have enjoyed them all.
I see that a lot of people have said the book was character-driven. I felt Vera was such an unreliable narrator that I couldn’t trust any personality or character she presented. I therefore felt the plot was more important.
I was so-so on the book till that wild ending. It was so over the top that it ruined what had come before. I felt the strongest parts were about the peephole, Vera’s relationship with her father, and the mystery of how much her father knew / approved of her using the peephole. I felt the supernatural parts were the weakest and I found James the artist to be more of an annoying diversion than anything really integral to the story.
Minor quibbles re editing: there is a lot of emphasis on there being no locks on the bedroom and bathroom doors but there’s a comment, “The door was locked.” It’s also clear that it’s the middle of a hot and humid summer, but the A/C is on high making it cold inside. Vera says, “I would have turned the heat up….” The artist lives in the shed some distance from the house yet he tells Vera, “I hear you in the night sometimes.” Finally, I got really tired of the phrase, ”the house her father had built.”
I am really sorry I didn’t like this because I’ve read almost all Gailey’s books and have enjoyed them all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Mental illness, Abandonment, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, Torture, Gaslighting, Vomit, Chronic illness, Confinement, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
venusianbabie's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Murder
biobeetle's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Bullying, Mental illness, Violence, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Gore, Murder, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Blood, Cursing, and Torture
ellarah8's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
3.0
I really liked the start of this book. It was so creepy at the beginning and had me very engaged for the first 25%. However, I started to lose interest after this. It took a long time for things to get creepy and spooky which is what made the beginning so exciting. The emphasis on the house her father built was good until it was too much. It became too repetitive and there could have been other ways to emphasize this. The twist at the end was creative but I wished it had been creepier. I wish the middle and end gave me goosebumps like the beginning did. There were moments that her uncomfy and I liked that there were morally gray characters. Over all, I liked it but wished there was something more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Grief and Emotional abuse
karly_ackley'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? Yes
4.0
Absolutely horrifying! But in a can’t look away type of way!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Violence, Murder, Death, Torture, Gore, and Blood
wyabook234's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Murder, and Gore
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Torture, and Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse
micallab's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death of parent, Violence, Death, Blood, Physical abuse, Murder, Vomit, and Torture
kylieqrada's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
From the acknowledgements: “Many of us spend our lives searching for something too big to truly name, something that is often (inadequately) summarized as ‘unconditional love.’ If you have gone out seeking this enormous thing, and found yourself in danger; if you have spent any part of your life thinking that something monstrous was normal or inevitable; if you have lost some part of yourself in the process of looking for a place that feels like home - I hope you know that you have always deserved a better kind of love than that.”
Docked half a star because I am too dumb to appreciate all of the nuance in this book.
Docked half a star because I am too dumb to appreciate all of the nuance in this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Body horror, and Gore
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Torture
billcbentley's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Murder, and Death