Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Dear Laura by Gemma Amor

28 reviews

smilingsammie's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, and Stalking

catsy2022's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Rating: B+

Dear Laura, a book I think I might've read before, is about Laura, whose childhood best friend and boyfriend, Bobby, is kidnapped by a man suddenly one day and vanishes without a trace. She spends years processing the trauma of this event and navigating the social relationships around her until she receives a letter from the man who claims to have kidnapped and killed Bobby. 

This is a very short book which unravels in alternating chapters between the present and the past, where Laura is a teenager and navigating the requests she receives from X in her letters. I did like the set-up and the writing style was decent, not too descriptive and verbose, but not so simple to be underwhelming. I also really felt that the scene where Bobby was taken was such a well-written scene that described so accurately the confusion of a child in seeing her friend leave with a stranger, but also leave her behind without reason.

Worth a read if you're looking for short horror fiction grounded in reality.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Kidnapping, and Stalking

Moderate: Self harm, Blood, and Vomit

Self harm -

Laura rips out her own tooth.

wends_nblw's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad 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? No

3.0

I think I would have liked this book more if it hadn't been raved about in the horror book community. I was expecting something amazing and showstopping; which this book was not. Not to say it was bad, because it wasn't. I liked the concept and the ending, but I think it fell short for me due to high expectations. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death, Death, and Gun violence

Minor: Drug use

voidcrawler's review against another edition

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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Pedophilia, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

xwritingstoriesx's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

4.25

4.25 stars! Far better than expected. A dark, twisted tale perfect for Halloween season. If you are especially sensitive to paedophilia, this book might trigger you, therefore proceed with caution.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

hapikohw's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

4.0

A quick tragedy of a girl who spent her whole life tethered to a predator using her guilt and grief against her.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Abandonment

chloseencounter's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

3.0

This was a short read that was very eerie and effective, it definitely gave me the absolute creeps (but I also made the mistake of reading this all in the middle of the night in the dark). My only complaint is I didn’t think the ending was entirely satisfying but it wasn’t bad either. 

When I first finished the story I felt  like it was super scary but after sitting on it for a few days it’s left less of a lasting impact on me than I would’ve thought initially. Either way this book still accomplishes a lot for how short it is.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Violence, Blood, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Gaslighting

Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Abandonment, and Alcohol

kellyj1028's review against another edition

dark sad fast-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

3.5

A short story about a girl who sees her best friend/boyfriend abducted in front of her eyes. 

I really enjoyed the codependency between X and Laura. It was interesting to see their toxic relationship finally come to a conclusion. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Pedophilia

jazgryph's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

This book is often labeled as a horror novel, but it is more of a thriller/suspense kind of book. It did not really give me a scare like I had hoped for, but there were some parts that made me wince. Mild spoiler:

Overall, the story was pretty sad and you will feel bad for Laura, and perhaps a bit angry with the way she went about certain things, but the ending was bittersweet.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Gore, Pedophilia, Grief, and Stalking

Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Self harm

Minor: Drug abuse

Look over the content warnings I listed. If you are someone who does not like reading about things like pedophilia, stalking, etc. then this book may make you uncomfortable, so it may be in your best interest not to read it.

cjblates's review against another edition

dark slow-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Pedophilia, Kidnapping, Grief, and Stalking