Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering

10 reviews

mynameisrebecca's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.25

This is a fun, easy "thriller" read - one that has a mysterious overtone but nothing really shocking or twisty. Due to the multitimeline, dual perspective writing a lot of the twists are easy to see coming. While I really liked the book and couldn't put it down, it was hard to get past the fact that the core plot is centered around main characters who are oblivious and ignorant, and nothing would have happened if people just stopped to think. The writing was really fun and vivid though.

Major major warning for sexual assault/abuse. It's really prevalent and I don't think it was exactly needed to get the point across.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Addiction, Sexual content, Rape, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Classism, Abortion, Death, and Murder

kimkowalski's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Stalking

masch212's review against another edition

dark reflective tense fast-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Incest, Fatphobia, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault

margscott's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Rape, Dementia, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Sexual violence, and Toxic friendship

smileyjayna's review against another edition

challenging dark tense

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

I love ghost* stories
* “ghosts” generally, not like 👻

I do not love the narrative voice (if that’s the right term for it, how it’s always “I give a strained smile” or “I jolt up in bed”) but I haven’t read anything else by Lovering so I’m guessing it was it was a choice for a thriller.

I DO like the way choices are dissected and discussed, how they do or do not belong to their characters, if that makes sense.

I like the pacing of the book overall, but I have not decided my opinion on the moments in which two characters experience the same event.

I think it was a sloppy choice to use weight as shorthand for virtue/virtue (wade, ava (to a lesser extent)).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Dementia, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Medical content, Mental illness, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Rape, Emotional abuse, Vomit, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Incest, Classism, Fatphobia, Pregnancy, Chronic illness, and Terminal illness

Minor: Infidelity, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Eating disorder, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, and Lesbophobia

mnmeg's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book was well written and even though it flipped back and forth through time it was easy to follow given the separation by chapters. I feel like I need to take a shower now that I have finished reading this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual violence

Minor: Murder

dblue236's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

3.0

Trigger warnings: Childhood sexual abuse, sexual assault, domestic abuse, domestic violence. 

First things first, I absolutely hated both of these main characters. Couldn't stand them. Not a single redeeming quality about either of them. I was able to mostly get past that because I was into the story... and then that turned out to be a big nothing as well. There was no real resolution, no real point beyond "People suck, friendships fall apart." I kept waiting to get something out of this, and I just didn't. Points for what could have been, I guess. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Incest, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Kidnapping, Murder, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Dementia, and Bullying

book_reader_lover's review against another edition

emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I enjoyed this story.  It's billed as a psychological thriller, but to me it was more a woman's fiction.  It dealt with friendship from school to adulthood and how that whole concept changes things.  It's written in dual timelines, as well as multiple POV's.

Billie and Cassie met at the age of 12 and became best friends.  As adults, one drifts from the other one, which happens in all friendships.  Then one night, one does something that is unforgivable to the other.

There are trigger warnings in this book.  Child Abuse, Sexual Abuse, and a crime ( I don't want to say which crime bc I don't want to give anything away).  

While, I didn't always like Billie or Cassie, I could relate to them.  How many of us still talk to their best friend in school, even once a month?  I'm sure some do, but for most of us, you grow apart.  Rather it's distance, children or just life getting in the way.  I will say that their was good character development in the book.  The story moved along at a good pace.  But, I just didn't think the ending as a whole was believable.  That's just my opinion though.  Others may think that that would actually happen, but I'm not so sure.

Tentative Publication Date:  March 5, 2024

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the E-ARC.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

😊 Happy Reading 😊

#netgalley #stmartinspress #carolalovering #byebaby

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Dementia, Child abuse, Sexual violence, and Kidnapping

Minor: Death of parent

kelsey24's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I won this in a Good Reads Giveaway. I was hooked from page one and devoured this book. I will say I had second hand embarrassment and dread for the final 'confrontation', but it ended up not being too awful. The character growth was great, even though pretty much all of them are awful, self-absorbed people. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Dementia, and Death of parent

astoriareader's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-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

SYNOPSIS:

• Billie & Cassie were childhood best friends. Through glimpses of the past, we learn about their secrets, their traumas, and their friendship.
• In the present day, they aren’t as close, and we slowly learn why.
• Cassie is a micro-influencer, as well as the owner of an upscale boutique. Billie works at an expensive, luxury travel consultancy.

MY THOUGHTS

• I wouldn’t characterize this as thriller/suspense, but rather, a well-written drama about toxic, one-sided friendships.
• Multiple POVs (Billie & Cassie) with both present & the past. 
• Fast-paced.
• Set mostly in NYC (at least the present). I live in NYC, so I love reading books with this setting.
• Lovering is an incredible writer, and she expertly creates a familiar, relatable story about old friendships. She crafted and plotted a seamless story that you’ll find yourself breezing through until the very end. 
• The main characters are both imperfect and flawed. I really liked Billie, and I felt sorry for her throughout the book. The book deals with Billie constantly trying to maintain a friendship with Cassie, instead of letting the friendship run its natural course.
• Cassie wasn’t a likable character, and I thought she was very shallow & nauseating.
• Lovering also explores motherhood AND choosing to be a childfree woman.  I loved that she incorporated this, as it isn’t something that many writers acknowledge or incorporate.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Fast-paced + well-written. Drama about toxic friendships.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. It will be published on March 5, 2024.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Pregnancy, Abortion, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Death of parent and Eating disorder