Reviews with content warning for Torture - Walk Me Home

Η γραφή του κυρίου Fitzek είναι μοναδική: δράση και αγωνία, με μία ξαφνική αλλαγή της τροπής στο τέλος του βιβλίου! Δεν με ενθουσίασε τόσο όσο άλλα βιβλία του (όπως "Το Δέμα"), καθώς νομίζω μακρυγόρησε περίπου στη μέση χωρίς λόγο.

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amatterofplot's review against another edition

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3.0

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yvo_about_books's review against another edition

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3.0

Finished reading: March 2nd 2023

"At the point when she crossed the threshold of evil, entering the dark lift that catapulted her into a world far worse than she'd imagined in her most terrible nightmares."

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Head Of Zeus in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

I've loved some of Sebastian Fitzek's backlist titles in the past, and I've been meaning to read more of his work for a while now. I admit it was hook, line and sinker as soon as I read the blurb of the translation of his newest book Walk Me Home. I mean, have you seen it?! The woman who knows the day she is going to die because her killer revealed it to her, the phone service element, the life-threatening situation creating a bond between two strangers... It sounds like such a fantastic premise for an action-packed and exhilarating read, so that's why it came as a bit of a surprise I ended up having mixed thoughts instead.

It is a known fact that Sebastian Fitzek's thrillers tend to be on the over the top and unbelievable side in the first place, and I usually don't mind because the stories tend to deliver on an entertainment level. I'm not sure if it was just the strange reading mood I've been in lately, but the fact is that I wasn't as convinced by Walk Me Home this time around. Don't get me wrong, I still think that the premise itself is fantastic and it had SO much potential. The plot twists are clever, and there were parts I never saw coming. BUT. The execution was a bit lacking for me this time around.

Why would I say that? I found the structure of the plot to be highly confusing and a bit of a mess to be honest, and especially in the first half of the story. I struggled considerably to fully understand what was really going on, and it all felt a bit too jumbled and purposedly misleading. It took me a long time to get a proper feel for the story, and the structure and way the plot was developed slowed down the story considerably. True, things did improve in especially the last quarter or so, but still... It took me a lot longer than expected to actually reach that final page.

Apart from the structure, I also had issues with the content of Walk Me Home itself. I sure don't mind a dark and gritty read, but this story was particularly brutal with a focus on domestic abuse, rape, torture, mental illness and suicide among other things. Nothing I can't handle when these elements are incorporated well, but I felt like in this book in particular they were mostly used to shock the reader over and over again instead of adding anything substantial. The domestic abuse, rape and torture scenes are particularly gruesome, and it made for some very uncomfortable reading. Using these elements for shock value made the story feel a bit 'cheap' to me.

I can't say that I was a fan of any of the characters either, and I felt that their development was a bit one-dimensional. The plot switches between Klara and Jules as the story unfolds, but somehow I never actually warmed up to either (even though they both have a very tragic background and it should be easy to feel sorry for them). It might just have been that the unreliable narrator was amped up too high, making it frustrating to deal with them... But I wasn't a fan of how the plot twists and reveals around the characters were handled either.

All in all, sadly I don't think Walk Me Home lived up to that fantastic premise for me. It's not a bad read, but there were elements I simply couldn't get past personally. Most people do seem to have a better reaction to this book though, so don't give up on my account! Just make sure to brace yourself for a seriously twisted, pitch-black and frankly over the top ride... Don't say I haven't warned you.

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nisforneville's review against another edition

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dark tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

I received a copy of this book through Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

TW: domestic violence, abuse, torture

Jules agrees to cover his friend’s shift for a “walk me home” telephone service for women who are scared to walk to their car or home at night. He receives a phone call from a woman named Klara. She tells him that she called by accident, to hang up before “he” knows she’s talking to him, or else “he” will kill Jules. Jules is not concerned for himself, but he is concerned for Klara. He can tell that she is terrified and he wants to help her, if only she’ll tell him where she is.

This book is set in Germany, so there are references to places that I don’t know anything about, but I don’t think that takes away from the story. There’s this sense of dread that I felt while reading the book, because of what the characters are going through or have been through in the past. I liked the short chapters. I didn’t guess the twists in this one, which is always nice.

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sealegs's review against another edition

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dark 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

4.25

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booksaremysoulmates's review against another edition

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adventurous 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? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

My best friend has been telling me about the genius writing of Fitzek for quite some time and finally I decided to read one of his books. The only thought about me waiting this long is: WHY THE FUCK DIDN‘T I READ ANY OF HIS WORK BEFORE?
His writing is genius and the story is one of the best thrillers I have ever read. Fitzek is a german author but he also publishes his stories in other languages as well. So please make sure to give his books a try. This one might be the best first book to read of his. It‘s such a genius crafted thriller that has you on the edge of your seat the whole time. I just couldn‘t put it down at all, which is also why I am currently awake at 2:14am to write this review. His writing is so easy to follow and so captivating but also so genius at the same time. I don‘t want to talk too much about the plot/story but I should give you some trigger warnings, so if any of these topics are ones that bother you to read about, please skip this one. Trigger warnings: murder, rape, sadism, sexual assault, assault, torture, mental illness, suicide, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, child death, blood, physical abuse, sexism and overall violence. I know these are a lot, but this is a thriller so some of these are a given…still I wanted to mention them incase any of these topics are hard for you to handle.
Personally I can not wait to read more of his books.

Content Warnings

mishasbooks's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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