Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - Nightwatching

Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

sinsandscares's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🎧 Narrated by Emily Ellet

Nightwatching is a gripping and deeply unsettling read. The opening chapter is pure terror. A mother, home alone with her children during a blizzard, faces an intruder. But the true horror unfolds after as she fights to be believed, to regain her children, and to even trust herself.

This book captures the hypervigilance women are forced to have, the way their concerns are dismissed as paranoia or attention-seeking. Sierra does a phenomenal job making the reader feel that firsthand. Even I found myself questioning the protagonist, wavering between doubt and belief right until the end.

Readers expecting nonstop action should know that while the first chapter is intense, the rest leans more into psychological suspense. The entire story is told through the mother’s inner monologue, which heightens the isolation but leaves other characters less fleshed out.

I listened to this on Libby, and Emily Ellet’s narration was fantastic. Her voice work, especially for “the Corner,” added so much depth.

This is not just a thriller but a sharp, unsettling reflection on fear, doubt, and the fight to be heard.

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emp93's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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kvcatnip's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional slow-paced

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

5.0

This is a really difficult read, and therefore a really important one. A mother locked in her home with her two young children while an intruder tries to hurt them and the following events are horrific to read. And yet, they expertly express the way women are not believed. We are categorically told that we are overly sensitive, anxious, paranoid, and obsessive instead of believed. Small things matter to us, because we learn to look for things everywhere.

I cannot recommend this enough to every person who thinks they can emotionally or mentally handle it. This book deserves way more spotlight.

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hauntedantiqueshop's review against another edition

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mysterious tense fast-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

3.25

There are definitely some aspects that don’t work very well, a lot of the decisions made are frustrating, our main character has literally NO self confidence or backbone, it’s repetitive, and I do think the ending could have been better but! I didn’t hate it so we’re counting that as a win, babeyyyy!!!!!

If the middle hadn’t lulled so much, this probably would have been a 4 star for me. I’m actually a little surprised this worked for me as well as it did but that could be because it’s kind of reminiscent of something I’ve seen/read before but I can’t place it. But I loved the setting, I’m always a sucker for winter weather in books. The inherent danger from the blizzard itself and the isolation of it all 😙🤌🏻 chef kiss! And the flashbacks to the pandemic/lockdown were believable, didn’t feel overdone at all.

okay, real talk now. HOW did Miss Unnamed NOT kill her husband??? She should have killed him. He wasn’t shit and deserved a worse death. He was so shitty and was raised by shitty people (dead momma included, idgaf). That father-in-law should have been made to severely suffered. I have never immediately hated a fictional man so fast. Oh and that sheriff sucked ass, dick, AND balls too. The police were a joke, all the way til the very end. Suggesting she forgive the father-in-law!!! Ridiculous. I was killing everyone with my mind the entire time.

^ me being evil, my bad (it will happen again)

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kaneebli's review against another edition

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made me too angry

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smnappy8'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? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This book has haunted me since the day I finished it. Horrifying. Dark. So incredibly real. I haven't felt this affected by a book in a long time. There are so many aspects of the main character that are relatable and yet we don't know really anything about her for the majority of the book. This book activated my female rage in such an intense and personal way. Highly, highly recommend this book, but be ready to be scared.

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hannahbanana0909's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.75

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sjexley's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

I haven't read a scary book in a long time and this one creeped me out! A mom and her two kids are home alone during a blizzard when she sees an intruder in the house. She grabs her sleeping kids and they rush to hide in a secret room. What happens next is nothing short of nightmares, and that's just the present day plot. This book jumps around bw the past and present and really had me unsure of who to believe. It was so suspenseful, I couldn't read parts of it fast enough! Do not recommend if you are anxious about intruders bc you may never sleep again. Also, this is the first book I've read that takes place during Covid but the pandemic ITSELF wasn't a huge character. It was interesting to read a story where it was referenced but not focused on.

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klackey224's review against another edition

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Book is way more violent and triggering than the description details. If you have PTSD, have experienced the trauma of gaslighting, or generally just don't do well with crimes against children, it's best to skip it. I was looking forward to reading it as part of Jimmy Fallon's book club, but after 4 chapters (I think?) I was already so anxious I couldn't read anymore. I skipped to the end just to see if there was a sense of justice, but it wasn't enough.

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