Take a photo of a barcode or cover
tamara_joy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Dementia, and Classism
Minor: Addiction, Body shaming, Cancer, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Blood, Vomit, Abandonment, and Alcohol
breeoxd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
"“Art is legacy, it is solace. It soothes, consoles, arouses. It’s work. It’s what you do all day. It’s how you work things out, how you understand the world. It’s the opportunity to start over, to shed your skin, to take revenge, to fall in love. To be good. To live long.”" (Paula Hawkins, The Blue Hour)
"“Men like him . . . they have a special kind of contempt for women like me—ugly women. I’ve felt it all my life. An ugly woman is barely human to a man like your husband. It’s sickening but not all that shocking. What’s worse, what is utterly abject, is the way that women like you—the pretty, the chosen—the way you collude in that contempt. Simpering like a schoolgirl, because a man has paid you some attention. Laughing cravenly at his cruelties. It’s pathetic.”" (Paula Hawkins, The Blue Hour)
I was so invested in this book 95% through. Was thinking it was going to be my first 5 star of the year. Then that ending. Woof. I understand that it was intentional, to give the reader a sense of just how truth can change with perspective, but at the end of the day, I want to know what happened to some of these characters. I don’t feel I have a good sense of what happened to any of them, aside from Vanessa, who we know is dead from the get-go.
That said? The rest of the book is excellent. Highly atmospheric, gothic, with plenty of art and literature Easter eggs that made it that much more enjoyable for me. There wasn’t a single likeable character in the bunch, which I found to be a bold choice; even the main male character leaves a bad taste in my mouth towards the end, and he is representing the “noble” viewpoint. I loved the island as a character- it is so fully fleshed out you can feel it breathing on the page. Scottish Right to Roam laws add an interesting layer, too. I’ve always been a big proponent when it comes to big estates, but in The Blue Hour, it was very uncomfortable to imagine how that works on someone’s pebble of an island, with their house being removed from basic society. The risks and inherent threat that can pose to a landowner are really felt here. I also really enjoyed the many different ways the blue hour can be interpreted throughout the book.
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, and Dementia
Minor: Vomit and Pandemic/Epidemic
mgowin821's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Physical abuse, and Suicide
drpthy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Body shaming, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
srullo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Confinement, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Cancer, Domestic abuse, and Murder
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic
bookedandbusy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Body shaming, Cancer, Death, Fatphobia, and Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Vomit, and Pregnancy
harleyglynn's review against another edition
3.0
I struggled with this one. The mystery kept me interested, but I was disappointed in a lot of it, especially the ending. I also had a hard time with the relationships between the characters. I personally didn't find any of them believable.
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Pandemic/Epidemic
skbgfd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Murder and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Body shaming
Minor: Infidelity
avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma, Acephobia/Arophobia, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Vomit, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, and Pandemic/Epidemic
mysterymom40's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Drug use, Misogyny, and Alcohol