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amberjackonski's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Murder, Domestic abuse, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
ellenisntcool's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I’m struggling to know how to rate this, so I’ll come back later but or right now I’m on the fence about giving it anything higher than a three as the ending felt off especially with one of the women spoken about almost forgiving him, and we don’t get to see why.
(As I’m writing I’ll probably give it that three anyway.)
Edit: dropping my rating to two stars, the more I think and talk about this book the more I dislike it.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Gore
Minor: Pregnancy and Grief
vanessa_black_03's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Shows us how circumstances lend to our making but justifying anything you do with it and not acknoledging a problem within you is all that makes the difference
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Addiction, Alcohol, Death, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Child abuse, Gore, Suicide, Medical content, Murder, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Animal death, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Blood and Stalking
Minor: Car accident
tearearly's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Body horror, and Death of parent
misssleepy's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I loved this book. It was very reflective and it challenges how society glorifies serial killers by reflecting on the lives of 3 women that intersected with this serial killer, Ansel Packer.
The women in this story are written beautifully. They are raw and they are flawed and they are so deeply human.
When I started reading this book, I did get nervous that I would find myself sympathizing with Ansel and I was really resistant to that feeling. Having finished the book, I realize that my nerves were a manifestation of conflicted feelings. There were fleeting moments of sympathy, but also hatred, pain, anger, dismay, and embarrassment.
There is a lot to feel conflicted about. The idea of nature vs nurture, the morality of the death penalty, the internal struggle of good vs evil, the idea that everyone is loved on some level regardless of their atrocities. The authors did an amazing job of forcing the reading to reckon with all of these contradictory themes while still providing the reader space to form their own opinions.
Also shout out to Shawna for playing Ansel like a fiddle.
This book reminded me in some ways of Bright Young Women. It is very much a commentary that it isn’t the men that murder that deserve our energy and admiration, but the women whose lives were taken from them. That victims are more than their ending, that they are complex and vibrant. The author reflects on what their lives could have been and could’ve meant to the world.
The exploration of Ansel’s relationship with Blue was one of the more contradictory plot lines of the book for me. I think it’s important to show the humanity in all people, even killers like Ansel and how the choices they make can have such devastating impacts to people who do view them from a place of goodness. I also thought the juxtaposition of that relationship to Saffy’s longing for family and her search for her father was deeply touching, and a bit haunting.
I just have to complain about how often the authors described character’s breath as sour. Okay good to get off my chest.
10/10 would recommend!
Graphic: Animal death and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Murder
emiliegrace's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, Murder, and Domestic abuse
rebecca_the_reader's review
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Murder
arayo's review
- 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
4.25
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Murder, Drug abuse, Abandonment, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Death, Child abuse, and Confinement
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, and Pregnancy
imogenlj's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Grief, Murder, Child death, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Self harm, Drug abuse, Car accident, Death of parent, Racism, and Sexual assault
lololoretta's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, Child abuse, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Child death