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onyxem'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
2.75
First of all, this is my second Gillian Flynn novel, the first one I read being Gone Girl- which I very much enjoyed. What made Sharp Objects less enjoyable for me personally was the setting and the characters. This setting was, for me, an extremely unlikeable town with extremely unlikeable and sometimes unbelievable/unrealistic characters. For example, Amma, who is 13 in the story, doesn’t act 13 at all- and neither do the other children in the story- so much so that I had to remind myself how old they were. The southern atmosphere filled with selfish, deplorable, disgusting characters led me to not being able to relate and in turn, not deeply connect with ANY of the characters in this story. I realize Flynn’s intent was most likely what I’m describing- to disgust the reader and unsettle- which I most definitely was. However, the more I think about it, the more I feel that if I was able to connect with the characters more or the setting more, I’d be more affected by the thrilling aspects of the story or more invested in the ending. Instead, I was rather just left with a bad taste in my mouth. Personal preference here- but I felt the romance was rather unnecessary as well as the sexual aspects of the story.
I realize I’m being rather critical in this review, so I don’t want to downplay Flynn’s magnificent, descriptive writing style. Part of the reason I am able to feel so disgusted and impacted by this story is because of her detailed writing and descriptive nature. I feel like she has a talent for getting readers invested, even if they might not like the setting or characters. Finally, I was able to pretty much guess the plot twists at the end- but I was invested enough to be entertained on the journey. Overall, I land on 2.75 stars ⭐️.
I’ll still most definitely check out Dark Places, because I’d like a chance to once again enjoy Flynn’s writing while also enjoying the characters and setting more than I did in Sharp Objects.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Child death, Self harm, Child abuse, Vomit, and Sexual content
purplexwidow's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Self harm, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Forced institutionalization, and Injury/Injury detail
z0tvzo'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
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Self harm, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Cursing, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Medical trauma, Animal cruelty, Rape, Child death, Death, Medical content, and Chronic illness
vistacanas's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
“She’d always been one of those types of girls who wanted what anyone else had even if she didn’t want it.”
Gone Girl was a favorite so I was excited to read this book. It was good, but not as good as Gillian Flynn’s masterpiece.
This one was a bit overdone, I thought. And, definitely more predictable. That being said, “more predictable” for Gillian is still far less predictable than other authors. This was still a fun romp on the dark side that pulls you in and keeps you there!
Graphic: Addiction, Murder, Bullying, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Child death, Death, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Alcohol
0live_tr33'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
4.5
Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Fatphobia, Animal cruelty, Toxic friendship, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Self harm, Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Racism, Murder, Mental illness, Grief, Gore, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, Chronic illness, Classism, Cursing, Child abuse, and Body shaming
samarsparkles's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death, Murder, Self harm, and Violence
louiepotterbook'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
2.75
Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Child death, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Gore, Misogyny, Violence, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Torture, and Vomit
xoopa'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
3.25
Graphic: Death, Murder, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Rape, Drug use, and Mental illness
antitheticaldreamgirl's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Child death, Medical trauma, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism and Drug use
Minor: Animal cruelty
jnl0'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? No
3.75
Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Child abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Body shaming, Bullying, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Sexual content