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st333phanie's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Stalking, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Blood, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Confinement, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Torture, Sexual harassment, and Sexual content
Minor: Body shaming, Child abuse, and Animal cruelty
lifeofchrstnlvly's review
- 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
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
yvo_about_books's review
3.25
“The combination of thunder and seeing the helpless baby had dug up her memories. Memories she'd rather forget.”
I came across this series when I was browsing my kindle for titles to read to help complete my kindle freebies goal, and since I've been meaning to try Carla Kovach's writing for a while now I decided to give in. The Next Girl is the first book of a detective thriller series, and it starts on a heavy note with a kidnapping case as well as a focus on domestic abuse. It's not a bad read, but somehow there wasn't really anything that made this thriller stand out from other books in the genre either. I think this had a lot to do with the main character Gina, who I was unable to warm up to. She seemed too much like your stereotypical flawed detective with a troubled past, and the rest of the cast wasn't overly developed either. The many references to her past and psychological consequences in the present not only made her seem less competent as a detective, but also started to annoy me considerably. The fact that she was sleeping with her boss didn't really help either to be honest. The plot itself dragged in parts as well, and as a result it took me longer than expected to read The Next Girl . The case itself had a lot of potential and there were moments that were more suspenseful, but as a whole I felt that something was lacking. And while the final part was more engaging, it couldn't fully save this story for me. All in all it wasn't a bad read, but I don't think I will be continuing with this series... I still have too many other detective thriller series I want to start/continue instead.
Graphic: Death of parent, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Blood, Toxic relationship, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Dementia, Death, Murder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Grief, Stalking, Vomit, Medical trauma, and Rape
jul1a_pl's review
- 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? N/A
3.5
For me, the detective was a cliché policewoman - family problems, puts work first, always working, has some trauma what makes it hard for her to has a good relationship with her daughter etc. and her character wasn't too developed. I didn't care too much about what happens and had happened to her.
Apart from a few plot twists in the first few chapters, I wasn't really involved in the story.
Graphic: Blood, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Stalking, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Sexual violence and Rape
alex1's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Graphic: Grief, Blood, Physical abuse, Stalking, Rape, Body horror, Death, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, and Murder
elliphant's review
- 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? Yes
2.75
The pace, writing, and dialogue were a bit awkward and, at worst, repetitive and cringey.
I don’t know what the descriptions meant with “heart-stopping twist” cause there certainly wasn’t any.
Graphic: Blood, Pregnancy, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Stalking, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Violence, Sexual violence, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, and Physical abuse
wrappingpaper's review
- 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
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.
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
_em_lauren's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Moderate: Gore, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Murder, Sexual violence, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Rape, Stalking, Vomit, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Blood, Animal cruelty, Grief, and Suicidal thoughts
jesshart8's review
- 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
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
username330's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Graphic: Confinement, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Stalking, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, and Violence
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, and Torture
Minor: Grief, Dementia, Fire/Fire injury, and Death of parent