Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey

27 reviews

weeta's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad 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? Yes

4.5

I don't remember when I added this audiobook to my library holds list, and it arrived during a string of unlikeable, uninspired narrators and half-finished stories I really wanted to like more. I had low expectations, and didn't remember anything about the book or why I added it to my list. But Xe Sands began reading this to me and suddenly this story and Sands' perfect narration took over several days of my life. It's a dreadful (in a good way) mix of true crime feels and unaddressed family issues rising up late in adulthood...and then you realize there is a LOT more going on in the basement. So much wtf. I loved it so much.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Body horror, Physical abuse, Death, and Torture

Moderate: Self harm

Minor: Abandonment and Death of parent

hotscarysummer's review

dark mysterious reflective 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

4.75

 This book was absolutely fantastic, a complete mindfuck. It was slow paced at first, I was worried it was going to be entirely too slow; but around half way through it really picked up. This is my favorite new book I’ve read this year so far, it has me enraptured in it, I couldn’t put it down. All the characters were insufferable, but by the end I found myself twisted rooting for what I had thought I never would when I started the book. Impeccable work, amazing read, I really really recommend it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Abandonment, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, and Violence

Moderate: Gore, Vomit, and Murder

Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment

solenekeleroux's review

dark mysterious tense slow-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Torture, Blood, Gore, Child abuse, Murder, Body horror, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Abandonment, Medical content, Toxic friendship, and Terminal illness

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• 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

4.5

This was maybe the most scary and horrifying book that I've ever read?? Gailey does body horror and body descriptions like no one I've ever read. Will definitely read them again, but whew, this was terrifying. My only little things were that the reveal felt a little bit muddy to me, and I kind of felt like I was bonked in the head with the idea of stains/residue over the course of the book until I was sure that it was meaningful in some way.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Blood, Chronic illness, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Cancer, Confinement, Vomit, and Alcoholism

Minor: Pregnancy, Excrement, and Sexual harassment

The gore and torture totally made me lose my appetite until I finished the book, so beware, my sensitive-to-words friends!

kleinekita's review

dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Murder, Torture, Body horror, Blood, Gore, and Violence

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Grief, Terminal illness, and Abandonment

curiouslylem's review

dark mysterious tense slow-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

3.75

I was extremely excited for this book when I read the summary and saw the beautiful cover! It didn’t disappoint, but man did it took a while for things to speed up. 

This gothic thriller is a slow burn filled with beautiful, detailed descriptions and suspense galore. The plot follows Vera, daughter of serial killer Francis Crowder. Vera’s relationship with her parents is complicated, but her relationship with the Crowder House is even more so. 

If you pick up this book, get ready for some thrilling descriptions, tense situations, and a plot twist that’s unique & unexpected. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Child abuse, and Abandonment

Moderate: Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, and Death of parent

acbrummitt's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I think this book was overall really good, but at certain points in the story it felt confused and muddled. The pacing was weird at points but the story was really strange and entertaining.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Abandonment, Gore, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Blood, Murder, and Torture

huckleberryrk's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-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

4.5

You know, this really surprised me!

I didn’t think I could be surprised by a haunted house book after reading Mexican Gothic, but this is a really wonderful and strange and weird twist on the serial killer genre and haunted house genre too.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Murder, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Violence, Abandonment, Body horror, Terminal illness, and Blood

Surprisingly, there is no sexual trauma or abuse and no suicide content in this book.

bambooboy's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

5.0

A meditation on monsters and the nature of evil. What makes a monster? And how do we truly know when we are confronted with one? This is a book about (un)conditional love, dysfunctional relationships, and the evil we all try to push down within us. It’s about the things we do to try to be loved, especially when we don’t really know what love is supposed to look like. 

This is a book about monsters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Domestic abuse, Grief, Torture, Blood, Death, Murder, Emotional abuse, Violence, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Self harm, Vomit, Child abuse, Confinement, Toxic friendship, Cursing, Mental illness, and Gore

Minor: Bullying

vaguely_pink's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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

Graphic: Blood, Gore, Murder, Body horror, Confinement, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Grief, Mental illness, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Cursing, and Kidnapping

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Vomit, and Medical content