Reviews with content warning for Gaslighting - The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy, Updated and Expanded Edition

This book was the epitome of my fears of reentering the dating scene as someone in their mid-twenties.
I know that the possibility of finding a serial killer is low, but clearly not that low, if Elizabeth found it.
It's easy to look down on Elizabeth and say that you don't understand why she stayed so long, but I think it was entirely human and something that we all do much too often: overlook things and try so hard to get this image of our perfect future that we have wanted since childhood.
While reading, I recognized how easy it would be to ignore red flags and trying to see past the negative personality traits of someone because you care deeply and just want this perfect life that you imagined yourself having. It would've been weirder if her mind went to serial killer immediately instead of infidelity or just seeing him as stringing her along (what would've been more plausible? Definitely cheating, yet that wasn't all that was happening, obviously). But Elizabeth didn't ignore nothing, she did everything that she could possibly do, and was told that he was clear and not guilty.
My ex was also a confusing, sometimes mean, red flag flying thief. When he said he didn't know if a relationship was for him and backed off, a day later he was then crying to me that he loved me so much. I stayed on that rollercoaster for no reason other than I cared for him, even if it wasn't in my best interest. So I understand Elizabeth in that instance.
Elizabeth and Molly are survivors, and I'm so glad that they are here to tell their stories. I've always believed that family and loved ones of these killers are victims in their own way, because they lost the person that they believed the individual to be. It's just a sad situation all around.

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proceduralbob's review against another edition

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dark informative reflective fast-paced

3.5

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rachelunabridged's review against another edition

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dark informative sad medium-paced

I don't feel comfortable giving this a rating because it feels too much like rating someone's trauma. But I will say it was a really interesting and terrifying read. So tragic to hear the kind of manipulation and gaslighting this woman went through. My heart went out to her and her daughter, and I was glad to hear at the end that they've been able to mostly put the whole thing behind them. Good for them!

Would recommend to people who are interested in true crime, serial killers, or Ted Bundy specifically.

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mariareviews's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

It feels weird to rate this book, so I’ll leave this review without a rating. Full honestly, the writing is could be better and if this was fiction I would’ve DNF it so fast. But this isn’t fiction. This is the story of a woman that went through hell and survived. She’s definitely brave for exposing herself like that, open for everyone to judge her writing skills or poor choices. At first it felt like she still, dare I say, love and even sympathised with Bundy. It’s sad to see that the wound was still open when she first published the book. This new version offers her closure as a human and closure to us as readers. Molly’s side of the story was definitely eye opening and all she had to struggle with crushed my heart into tiny bits.

I hope the families and everyone involved with Ted Bundy manage to find peace and live a tranquil life.

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averneo's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

3.5

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coldcojones's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

4.25

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alexanickole's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

3.0

So incredibly touching and incredibly dark, I’m so happy that this women were able to find peace. I hope the families of the victims and also the women who survived this monster were able to heal, we remember all the victims.

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