Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

The Only One Left by Riley Sager

17 reviews

lifeofchrstnlvly's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

 “At seventeen, Lenora Hope 
Hung her sister with a rope 

Stabbed her father with a knife 
Took her mother's happy life 

‘It wasn't me,’ Lenora said 
But she's the only one not dead” 

In 1929, a brutal tragedy occurred: three out of the four members of the Hope family were murdered, and only Lenora, one of the daughters, survived. Everyone thought she did it... until 1983, when Lenora decides to tell her story to her new caregiver, Kit. The resulting tale is full of twists and turns, creating a gothic vibe while reading. 

This is the third book out of seven by Riley Sager that I've read. He's quickly becoming one of my favorite thriller/mystery authors because of how grippingly he writes his stories and the unpredictable twists he includes. This book is his best one yet. 

I had some ideas about how the story would progress, and while some of them were correct, it turned out to be even crazier than I anticipated. The final 100 pages kept me on edge, and I found myself wanting to finish it in the early hours of the morning. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Violence, Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, Grief, and Infidelity

Moderate: Pregnancy, Mental illness, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Body shaming

blacksphinx's review against another edition

mysterious 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

1.5

I wound up having to wait for a friend to meet me at the library the day I picked this book up, and by the time she arrived I almost put it back on the shelving cart. So many people I follow and listen to just absolutely adored this book though, so I decided to finish it instead. I thought it had to get better, right? Right?

I hated our protagonist so much. I constantly forgot she wasn't a teenager one day out from her high school graduation, but a woman in her thirties with a 12-year career. Her entire approach as a caregiver was awful. Her fits of wild paranoia were painful to get through. The narration was the most repetitive thing I've experienced - it constantly beat the reader over the head with the same details page after page as the protagonist wildly careened between interpretations of what she knew. 

The book gets a half star because there is ONE twist that was decent. Almost everything else that happens past the 80% mark is the dumbest thing I've ever read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Medical content, Murder, Confinement, Chronic illness, Pregnancy, Blood, Drug use, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Ableism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Violence, Infidelity, Sexual content, Cancer, Death, Suicide, and Body shaming

Minor: Fatphobia, Gun violence, and Homophobia

karyan1's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Pregnancy, Self harm, Classism, Death of parent, Misogyny, Death, Domestic abuse, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Drug use, Suicide attempt, Blood, and Suicide

Moderate: Addiction, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Body shaming

avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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

4.75

When a disgraced caregiver goes to work for a suspected family murderer of legend, nothing is what it seems. And everyone is lying about something. 

This was one of the rare thrillers with many twists I didn't see coming or what I thought was wrong.  It's for sure in my top two Riley Sager books! Though most of the characters weren't lovable, there were enough of them for me to enjoy the book. I also loved the 80s setting. Overall a great book! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Blood, Body shaming, Grief, Violence, Death, Suicide, Pregnancy, Drug abuse, Confinement, Gaslighting, Medical content, Alcohol, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Sexual content

Minor: Homophobia

aileron's review

dark mysterious 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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Grief

Moderate: Confinement

Minor: Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Cancer, Drug abuse, Addiction, Blood, Body shaming, Classism, Infidelity, and Suicidal thoughts

amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Murder, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Classism, Confinement, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Ableism, Blood, Body shaming, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Homophobia

kimberlyswalters's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

I really enjoyed the twists in this!

I was expecting the sister twist, and that Virginia hung herself, but I wasn't expecting the father twist at all and at the ending where she revealed she could walk around for years spooked me.

I really loved the relationships between each character and the subtle hints you get before the mystery is solved. It was tense, thrilling, and fun. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Murder, Chronic illness, Death, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Drug use, Grief, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Gaslighting, and Medical trauma