Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

This is Why We Lied by Karin Slaughter

29 reviews

himpersonal's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious 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

I already am salivating for the next book! Really well done, as usual, even though I found this a bit unnecessarily complicated. I love the relationship between Sarah and Will and Will and Amanda and Will and Faith. These are some of the best developed in today’s writing and what makes these books so good.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

morebksplz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

I've read all the Grant County & Will Trent books--and this one, by far, was the hardest to get through, with so many traumatic experiences, betrayal on top of betrayal, awful people. The final twist just piled on. 

An amazing Faith & Amanda, Will & Sara, and some solid side characters made this story somewhat lighter. Will works through more of his childhood. 

But the McAlpine family legacy,  foreshadowed with the origin story of the lodge, was so incredibly dark that the overall outcome is very heavy with not many likeable characters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Murder

Minor: Pregnancy

acmayn01's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

the_boozy_baking_bibliophile's review against another edition

5.0

So I’ve always said Karin Slaughter is one of my favorite authors - and just last fall I had the opportunity to meet her and hear her speak about her last Trent/Linden book. It all started with Pretty Girls for me…and then I was hooked. 

But NOW - after having finished This is Why We Lied, I’m fairly certain I’m about to download the Trent and Grant County books that I missed because they were 10-20 years ago and I was still in my Patterson phase 🫣

This may turn into a Slaughterfest readathon of her backlist because I cannot get enough. 

Her latest - a locked “mountain mystery” - taking place on what is supposed to be Will and Sara’s honeymoon 💋 turns into yet another murder for them to solve. Will they ever get to just relax? Probably not but with the two of them on the case, I always feel assured that they will serve justice to whomever deserves it. And maybe a good swift kick to the balls. 

Their honeymoon takes place in a mountain resort - very isolated and private with very limited access. Run by the same family for years, the McAlpines, the management now falls to the youngest daughter, Mercy. And it’s clearly an ironic name, as from the jump, the reader knows that no one in her backwoods, sadistic family has ever shown her any in her life. 

TW: this one is chock full of abuse - of all varietals. Physical, sexual, psychological - so reader beware. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Drug use

lorz01's review against another edition

dark tense medium-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

smushka7's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.0

As dark as Slaughter gets and a gripping read but a bit predictable on the twists. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, and Murder

kdelorey0702's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

abicaro17's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.5

Holy shit. Well hot damm. I have never read a Will Trent book and I have watched one episode of the show so I went into this pretty blind but even as a sequel this book does a great job of explaining anything and everything. Will Trent and his new wife Sara are on their honeymoon at a small lodge and campsite in the woods. Their first night ends with the lodge manager, Mercy, getting stabbed and left to drown in the lake. The book takes twists and turns through Mercy's neglectful and awful family, suspicious guests, and the curse of trying to solve a murder in a small town. This book never left me with the feeling I knew what was going on. I was never confused or lost story wise but the twists really do lead you upside down and backwards before the end. I totally recommend reading this to anyone who isn't afraid of some pretty triggering topics like domestic violence, abuse, and rape. It was a great book and I'll definitely read anything else Slaughter has to offer! Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this ARC to review. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

bethelizabethuk's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

4.0

Karin Slaughter has always been one of my favourite authors and I have devoured both the Grant County and Will Trent series. That being said this one wasn't my favourite. It might have something to do with it being a locked room mystery which isn't my cup of tea. As with all Slaughter's books, it's long which I normally love but this one dragged a bit. It's definitely a slow burn. I think the constant mentions and descriptions of the Lodge and the various trails took me out of the story. Will & Sara's honeymoon level relationship felt a bit awkward as well but I am so happy they are getting their happily ever after. Well at least for now because you can never trust Slaughter

There are a lot of characters to keep track of which also gives us a lot of suspects. Pretty much every character is hiding something. As the book goes on more and more secrets are uncovered which adds so much drama. The McAlpine family is seriously messed up. I did have my suspicions about the killer but I couldn't work out a motive and damn was that reveal dark. We all know Karin Slaughter loves a dark topic so just be aware of the trigger warnings before delving in because there are a lot of traumatic events involved. I loved getting to know Mercy more through her letters to her son but it made her murder even more devastating. 

I would say this is probably one of the few books in the Will Trent series that can be read as a standalone but obviously, you would miss out on some of Will & Sara's growth. As always Faith was my favourite character and I would love to see more of her. The same for Amanda. They both add so much to the series and always make me laugh. While this book wasn't my favourite from the series, it's still a fantastic read and I will always read her books. I think Slaughter has set the bar too high for her books and the slower pace threw me off.  

I received a copy of the ebook via NetGalley

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Incest, and Car accident