Reviews with content warning for Gaslighting - Haunting Adeline

This is genuinely the worst book I’ve ever read, and I’ve read MULTIPLE Colleen Hoover books.

I read Credence by Penelope Douglas earlier this year, and though that was a shocking read, I ate that book up like it was pork dumplings. I was looking for more books like Credence, and was thus recommended Haunting Adeline by H. D. Carlton.

I am never trusting BookTok ever again. I have given them second chances like a book trope and they disappoint me every time.

THIS IS NOT A ROMANCE BOOK AND SHOULD NEVER BE CONSIDERED ONE. It is a book about a man STALKING a woman and sexually assaulting her. The author essentially condoning Zade’s abuse towards Adeline by making her constantly second guess whether she consented to things, is just awful.

The actual writing is horrible and filled with the most bizarre metaphors and similes I’ve ever read.

The B plot about Adeline attempting to solve her great-grandmother’s murder WAS SO BORING, I had to skim it every time.

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madelinequinnee's review against another edition

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God I knew this was going be be bad, but this was unbearable. The main character was so stupid and one dimensional, she had no personality at all. The writing was like something written by a 13 year old on wattpad, the way the characters inner monologues spoke was just so bad and i definitely gave this a go for far longer than it deserved. don’t read this book, not only is it terribly written, but the story perpetrates that rape is something women secretly want, and it’s just gross.

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stephiecake03's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense

0.5

um no ❤️

bro if you take out the smut from the book what's the plot? Addie is trying to figure out the stuff going on in relation to her deceased family members, and Zade is trying to stop human traffickers. That would be the whole plot. I didn't want to finish this book so honestly i skimmed it but i mean come on... Zade in the beginning is so creepy?? he's a stalker and RAPED Addie (I see this as SA) but he murders pedophiles and human traffickers for a living?? Bruh you're just as bad as them be for real.

0.5 cause honestly i decently liked the great grandmother storyline i wish it was longer and better explained

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hanfanfics24's review against another edition

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It’s just gross, the violations I’d have to overlook to make this book semi pleasurable give me the ick

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bookfulthoughts's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

1.5

I’m sorry babes 🤡

This was straight up glorification🥴! I love dark romance but what was this. There was no growth in any of the characters. It was extremely stagnant. IF YOU LOOK IN THE DICTIONARY FOR THE WORD CONTRADICTION ZADES PICTURE IS THERE! How! HOW! Can he “save” women and children and then turn around and do what he continues to do to Adeline? The book glossed over that 🧍🏾‍♀️. Please help me to understand how any possible relationship can be formed between the two of beside Stockholm and abusive? The .5 was because it had potential.

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amberlynnnnn's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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elyseireland_30's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced

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

oh my god I hated this book so fucking much. It was actually the worst book I’ve ever read let me say. I had to FORCE myself to finish it.

aside from the poor writing and sloppy excuse for a plot, it was just the romanticism of rape/sa/stalking/minipulation. Ick. The character voices were poor, the only way I could tell whose POV I was reading was because Zade swears more. while on the topic of Zade, can we talk about the whole “little mouse” thing? fucking ew?? he RARELY called her her own fucking name.

onto the characters!! none of the characters were consistent in their personalities, ESPECIALLY Daya. She switched up so hard I got fucking whiplash through the goddamn pages. Adeline was the usual damsel in distress stereotype except so much fucking dumber than other FMCs. She annoyed me so much in this book, but not nearly as much as Zade did. Now, one thing about this book is that it is 500 pages of a stereotype. Zade is over 6 feet tall, has dark hair, is buff, and has a mysterious scar on his eye. Are you fucking joking? What’s this, a wattpad story?? This entire book felt like a fan fiction about the author and some hot celebrity or something written by a 12 year old girl on wattpad. Except honestly, if it had been written by a 12 year old girl it would’ve been MUCH better than this book. Anyway, Zade has this whole superiority complex where he wants to feel like he’s saving Adeline… while actively purposely hurting her for his own sadistic pleasure not to mention raping her and setting up cameras in her bathrooms. He apparently runs an organization called “Z” (real original huh?) that takes down human traffickers and rapists, which he describes as vile and disgusting people on multiple occasions… even though he’s doing basically the same fucking thing?? below is an actual quote from Zade, and my note from when I read it.

“You sorry pieces of shit may get off on slapping around women but can’t say I find enjoyment out of that.”
YES YOU LITERALLY DO!???? WHAY THE FUCK ARE YOU YAPPING ABOUT!?? 😭

there were so many plot holes and just straight up random shit that didn’t make sense, so I really don’t under how this was approved by a whole fucking editor and publisher to get where it is now. First of all is Jay, Zade’s right hand man. We never see him, we never get an explanation for how they met, nothing. Not even a description of his appearance. And any time Zade wants to hack into something he just texts Jay and he instantly does it? It’s like when you’re playing make believe with a kid and they randomly make up a superpower so that they don’t lose. It’s not fucking realistic and it’s fucking annoying that he literally never faces any obstacle’s whatsoever.

if I’d read a physical copy of this book I would have burned it. Reading this was of the most painful experiences of my entire life. I absolutely never in my life would ever recommend this to someone else.

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