Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

The Next Girl by Carla Kovach

4 reviews

lifeofchrstnlvly's review

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.0

This book is a straightforward procedural thriller. 

It took me some time to finish it due to a lack of compelling tension. Although the stakes were high with a life on the line, the plot revealed the victim's situation while the protagonist, DI Gina Harte, was still trying to solve the case. As a result, I, the reader, was merely waiting for the protagonist to catch up with what I already knew. The question was not 'what will happen?' but 'when and how will the villain be caught?' This aspect dulled the suspense and made me less inclined to pick up the book. 

However, DI Gina Harte, the protagonist, was a well-developed character. Even though her personal backstory didn't profoundly affect me, I could understand her because her character was thoroughly explored. 

I'm undecided about continuing with the series. I might consider reading the second book in the future, but if it follows the same format, I may not pursue the entire series.

Also, to be honest, Harte was a bit.. dumb for a DI. She actually didn't solve the case in this book. All the pieces just fell into place: she didn't find the victim, someone else did. She didn't take down the perpetrator. Someone else did.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Mental illness, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Blood, Violence, Vomit, Kidnapping, Murder, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Sexual content, Death of parent, Rape, Death, Sexual assault, Stalking, and Sexual violence

Minor: Animal cruelty and Pregnancy

tinasparane's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

  3.7 stars.

The average Goodreads rating is 3.90 based on 15,653 ratings.

This book was incredibly disturbing; it made me feel physically ill and sick to my stomach. I acquired it for free on StuddYourKindle day, following a TikTok recommendation. However, I was unprepared for the criminal-thriller theme.

Despite the book having a happy ending, I can't shake the feeling that there wouldn't be anything happy if we were to follow the characters further. I'm left pondering the psychiatric diagnosis of one particular side character.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Mental illness

wrappingpaper's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

It truly was unputdownable!! I found this book randomly for free on kindle - good thing I did! I ended up finishing this in less than a day (something I don’t do very often) 
At first I was sceptical about the writing style, but I really felt like the story was real. We meet a lot of characters and learn a lot about them and their lives. Overall I would’ve loved a bit more about (spoiler) Debbie’s life after being saved, however it’s possible that’ll be featured in the next book. I felt really connected to the story and really felt for the characters during their struggles. 

Highly recommend if you’re into crime novels and looking for a fast paced engaging read. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Domestic abuse, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Drug abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Rape, and Death of parent

Minor: Animal cruelty and Cancer

jesshart8's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• 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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Grief, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Blood, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, and Violence

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Excrement, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Alcoholism, and Stalking

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Vomit