Reviews with content warning for Addiction - Things We Do in the Dark

This was my first Jennifer Hillier and I really enjoyed it! The themes are quite dark but there is an interesting cast of characters both in the past and present timelines, and great plot points that make for an engaging and gripping story. This book had my attention the entire time for these reasons. There are some surprising reveals at the end as well as some reveals throughout the book - I would've wanted them to be a bit more shocking but they were okay. Overall, a solid thriller and I will be checking out more of this author's work.

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haleysversion's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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sum_41's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad medium-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? Yes

3.0

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bkmckown's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

4.5

Lots of questions throughout the book, events that didn’t line up or cases where you didn’t know who the killer was. It all came together so well. The author really has you rooting for Paris after everything she has been through in her life. The bonus interview with the author at the end said her inspiration for the book was the documentary The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez and I thought that was fascinating. Like the author said, that’s something you watch and it’s so awful, you either say “It’s too much for me” and turn away or you get angry and want to do something about it. I felt the same way. It made me want to advocate for those kids. It was a very thought provoking read.

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amandasbookreview's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Thank you, NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Jennifer Hillier for the opportunity to read this book! It will release tomorrow, July, 19th!

“She wasn’t afraid of the dark anymore. There was nothing the dark could do to her that it hadn’t already done.”

THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK

TRIGGER WARNINGS: rape, assault, gaslighting, severe child abuse, murder, murder scenes, etc…

I was hoping to finish this book before the weekend but we just had the best vacation. While I did read a little bit here and there, I wasn’t able to complete the book until last night. Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier starts off strong. Paris Peralta wakes up to find herself covered in blood. It is not her blood but her husband’s blood, the famous comedian, Jimmy Peralta. She is arrested on suspicion of murder. She is his 5th wife, a lot younger than him, and there is a lot of money to gain, but she did not kill him. This is not the first time she has been connected to a murder, nor is it the second time…

As I said, the beginning is so strong, but then it got repetitive. The book is broken up into several parts and changes points of view. Honestly, Drew’s section was extremely dull and he tries to figure out what happened to his friend Joey, who was murdered years before. The ending started to pick up as all the loose ends began to unfold. I did find the finale a bit anti-climatic as well.

However, this book is labeled as a thriller. There are several moments that give off that vibe. But I wouldn’t say the whole book is a thriller. It is mainly about a young girl coming of age in the midst of severe child abuse and trauma and her struggle to run away and be free of her past. The abuse and trauma are HEARTBREAKING and extremely descriptive, so be prepared. It is difficult to read. Overall, it was an intense book about murder and doing whatever it takes to survive.

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kenziburke's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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thatswhatmegread's review against another edition

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3.0

I had no idea this book was a thriller/suspense, y’all. That said, I thought this started out really strong once I realized what I had gotten into. Paris Peralta’s husband is dead within the first page, classic who done it with some thrill. It’s pretty clear fairly early that Paris has secrets that unravel throughout the book.

The story has two timelines - what’s happening in life now with her husband dead and what life was like for someone else growing up. Things started to go south for me about halfway through. I figured out Paris’s deal well before it was revealed. And while I was surprised at who done it, this ultimately fell flat for me. There was a lot of focus on backstory, and this was another I didn’t really feel any connection with the characters, themes, etc. Liked this one enough, but didn’t love it, y’all.

TW: addiction; suicide attempt; child abuse (physical, emotional, and sexual); death

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