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justinkhchen's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars
Emotionally potent, while Dear Laura is not overly complex, intricate or in-depth, it packs all the right punches within its short length, delivering a sympathetic journey of a woman tormented by a traumatic childhood event. I do think going in expecting 'horror' might lead to disappointment, as its progression shares more characteristics with a thriller than something that is haunting or atmospheric. Still, I find the writing fluid, and overall very well-paced — will definitely read more from this author!
Emotionally potent, while Dear Laura is not overly complex, intricate or in-depth, it packs all the right punches within its short length, delivering a sympathetic journey of a woman tormented by a traumatic childhood event. I do think going in expecting 'horror' might lead to disappointment, as its progression shares more characteristics with a thriller than something that is haunting or atmospheric. Still, I find the writing fluid, and overall very well-paced — will definitely read more from this author!
tfui's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
michloue's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
3.5
mariewikle's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
5.0
A fabulous read!! Not very long but captivating non the less! I loved it
bookishbrighton's review against another edition
2.0
Disclaimer: this is not the sort of book I would normally read so this rating will not be accurate for the genre!
I liked the idea of the chapters flirting between ‘then’ and ‘now’ and feel like it helped the story along, but I found the now chapters in the woods a bit tiresome - I almost feel like it could have been the first chapter, then have just had all the ‘then’ chapters, then it revert back to now at the end. The ending fell a bit flat for me - I wanted there to be more of a twist, but I do think that may be because this isn’t the sort of book I would normally read.
I liked the idea of the chapters flirting between ‘then’ and ‘now’ and feel like it helped the story along, but I found the now chapters in the woods a bit tiresome - I almost feel like it could have been the first chapter, then have just had all the ‘then’ chapters, then it revert back to now at the end. The ending fell a bit flat for me - I wanted there to be more of a twist, but I do think that may be because this isn’t the sort of book I would normally read.
killmoore_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I really enjoyed Dear Laura, but to get to that point I had to stop thinking about it. There are a few painfully ignored questions that caused my review to drop drastically (why did he get in the car?!) and the ending fell a bit flat fo me personally, but I loved the world that Gemma creates for her reader. Forever grateful that as a 30+ year old woman, I couldn't care any less about what's going on with my boyfriend of 20 years ago.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Mental illness, Child death, Grief, Death, Kidnapping, Murder, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Bullying, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Stalking, and Vomit
renae1299's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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
ma1vina's review against another edition
3.0
i had so many questions but this book was actually a really pulling read