Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Teddy by Jason Rekulak

128 reviews

avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

3.75

While the mystery kept me guessing! Which is good but it just wasn't as enjoyable as I'd hoped it would be. I got annoyed with the MC a lot. She was too impulsive and way too trusting for someone who'd lived that type of life. But it was still a good book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

zosiablue's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I just...😬. I don't know! This was a fun thriller with the added bonus of beautiful drawings interspersed. But the twists were so improbable, the characters so cringily stereotyped, and it didn't land. If the author had leaned into the genre instead of trying to elevate it, I think he would've been more successful. Instead, it's kind of a ghost story, psycho-thriller, addict's redemption tale, and class commentary mushed into an admittedly interesting framework. But it just all felt...off.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Classism

Moderate: Infidelity, Mental illness, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol

stephyreads1221's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder

lindavs22's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Murder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Child death, Drug use, Car accident, and Death of parent

Minor: Gun violence, Infertility, and Kidnapping

bookswithbethx's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infertility, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Dysphoria

abbycassidy17's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

HUGE PLOT TWISTS.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting

kelsoups's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

• 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

2.75

Quick and easy read, but predictable. Ending felt unsatisfying. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Gun violence, Infertility, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Racism, Transphobia, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol

boba_nbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I thought this book was good before it hit the plot twist. But once we got there OH MAN did it reel me in!! Usually I can fairly accurately predict the end of thrillers, but this one kept me guessing.

At first, it reminded me of Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware. There are some similarities such as the nanny/babysitter and supernatural elements, but Rekulak made this a story all his own. Once you meet Mallory, Teddy, Caroline, and Ted, you’ll want to finish their story to the bitter end. 

When we found out Teddy was a girl who had been kidnapped, my mind was BLOWN. I knew there was some sort of ghost/spirit involved, but I never would have guessed it was the dead mother. And it just keeps getting crazier after that when you find out about Caroline and Ted’s abduction story. I also like that the supernatural element wasn’t proven wrong but just added to the story as “anya” helped to kill Caroline and protect Mallory and Teddy at the end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Kidnapping, and Murder

Moderate: Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, and Death of parent

talsbooknook's review against another edition

This is a poorly written book full of right wing dog whistles, religious propaganda and transphobia. Absolute nonsense.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Misogyny, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

swbowers's review against another edition

mysterious 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Blood, and Death of parent