Scan barcode
literaryinluv's review against another edition
- 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
2.5
0.2 seconds after meeting her: "marry me"
the red herrings were just so... forced. like,
everything felt forced, and like the author was booping my nose and saying, "catch that? let me explain!"
despite all this, i enjoyed the pacing and the ending, as well as the
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Incest, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Infertility, Rape, Sexual assault, Car accident, Abandonment, and Alcohol
lifeofchrstnlvly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It’s important to keep looking ahead. You mustn’t forever look back, over your shoulder. Think about the future.
Well, I didn’t see that one coming. It caught me a bit off-guard (only a bit because I suspected all of them ha ha ha).
I enjoy reading Michaelides’ books because 1) I love mystery, and 2) I like that psychology is always incorporated. However, I have yet to read a work from him that will satisfy me. He does his descriptions well (he's a good writer, no doubt about that), but the “reveal” is always unsatisfying. The ending felt rushed. I read The Silent Patient and I had the same problems.
Side note: what was the point of Henry's character? Personally, I think there will be no difference even if his character didn't exist.
I’ll still read his future books, though... because I have a lot of fun reading about crazy people.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, and Suicide attempt
joensign's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Death, Gore, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Abandonment
Minor: Infidelity, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
jusreadz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Mental illness, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Abandonment
kelisabeth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition
4.5
There are some heavy topics within so def check out content warnings.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
amandacav's review against another edition
- 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
1.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment
marisa_n's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved the plot twist at the end, as I didn't suspect Zoey. I thought it was Henry or Fred for most of the book. That said, I was left feeling somewhat unsatisfied with the explanation, but was having trouble articulating why it didn't make sense. It wasn't until I started reading the negative reviews and all the plot holes that these astute readers were referring to that I realized the genius of this book:
all of the characters were unreliable narrators.
There was Mariana, who clearly had a blind spot when it came to recognizing the signs of toxic and/or dangerous people. From her brushing off the dangerous implications of a client stalking her. Her instance that her father was a good man, despite his neglecting her as a child. Her poor character judgment with her niece, despite others implying she was unlikeable. Her memories of Sebastian as a romantic, nurturing man, despite something nefarious happening behind the scenes. Her openness to pursuing something romantic with Fred in the end, despite his love bombing and over-stepping boundaries--which, as a therapist, she should have recognized as a red flag. Mariana clearly is a poor judge of character and has questionable judgment in general.
Then there was Sebastian, who supposedly wrote the journal entries throughout the book. His journal entries were dark, and very unlike how Mariana described him. They also left unanswered questions. Did he kill his mother, or did she just leave and never come back? It's unclear, but it's suggested that he killed her and then rewrote the memory as a dream.
Then there is Zoe, whose "motive" includes details that are clearly at odds with Mariana's recollection of events. How could Sebastian have gotten with Mariana just to get to Zoe if he didn't meet the child until well into the relationship? How could he be in love with Zoe from the moment he saw her if she was just a young child when they met? Sure, he could have been a pedophile, but pedophiles tend to have a preferred age range, and he didn't sexually abuse Zoe until she was 15. Lastly, Zoe claims Sebastian strangled Mariana's father, but Mariana said he died of a heart attack--and what medical professional would mix up the two causes of death? Not to mention the weirdness with the Maidens / Fosca viewing Zoe as one of them, despite her saying she'd only joined them one time. Basically, nothing she said could be taken at face value.
Therefore, this isn't so much of a "whodunit" so much as a web of unreliable narratives to untangle. It left me with so many questions. For starters, how much of Zoe's story about the affair (read: sexual abuse) and subsequent murder plot was real?
My interpretation was that Sebastian had a history of physical (maybe sexual?) abuse at the hands of his father. He likely murdered his mother as revenge for trying to abandon him. He grew up to be a dangerous man, repeating the cycle of abuse. Mariana was blinded by love and only saw what she wanted to see (a doting husband). Sebastian sexually abused Zoe, but it was probably opportunistic and did not start until she was older (13ish?). Zoe was a young girl who was groomed and abused by a father figure, and then created a narrative of forbidden love to make sense of the trauma. Sebastian fed into her delusions by swearing one day he would leave and/or kill Mariana so they could be together. When he died, Zoe wanted to kill Mariana, her mother figure, to get revenge for taking away Sebastian, but also for shattering her delusion of him. The Greek tragedy theme really plays in nicely here with reference to adult-minor relationships, abusive father figures, revenge, fate, sorrow, etc.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
madisonfrank's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Islamophobia, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment
books_are_magical's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Murder, and Abandonment