Reviews with content warning for Medical trauma - Nightwatching

The darker twin to “men have called her crazy”. Whether we acknowledge it or not we are all forced to operate within societal hierarchies of credibility. The author really beats readers over the head with this throughout the book which creates redundancies that were hard to slog through. It was worth getting through though because once the pace picked up again I couldn’t put it down.

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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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stephaniezd's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

Solid thriller with a propulsive storyline. The ending was a little too “happily ever after” for me, and the part that came after that was just … odd? Unnecessary? I’m not sure how to classify it.

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peggydean's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective tense fast-paced

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? It's complicated

4.5

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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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yvo_about_books's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

4.75

Finished reading: April 16th 2024

“Easier to believe a woman’s lying than that bad things happened on your watch. Easier to believe the simplest thing is always correct. And it’s simple to say a woman is crazy.”

I kept seeing this debut everywhere and the premise sounded delightfully creepy, so of course I ended up giving in and decided to add Nightwatching to my priority TBR. It's true that hyped books can go both ways for me, but I'm SO glad I listened to my intuition here... Because the fact is: I was completely bowled over by this claustrophobic and simply spine-chilling story. WHAT a read! It's funny how part of me absolutely hated my time with Nightwatching, while I was also completely hooked and in awe at the same time. This sounds completely contradictory, but I think that if you have read this story you will probably know what I'm talking about. I absolutely loved the chapters set in the present, which were both intense, daunting and had that perfect ominous atmosphere. The setting itself is simple, as most of the story is set at the house... But in only worked in this story's favor for me. I initally wasn't a fan of the flashbacks at all, but as soon as you start to understand the importance of those same flashbacks all is forgiven. I absolutely loved the writing style, which I admit won't be for everyone... But if you are able to connect with it, it will truly take this debut to the next level for you. The way the plot is built up and how you start questioning everything that you are reading is also extremely cleverly done, and it only made me want to turn those pages even faster. I simply HAD to know what really happened that night! All in all a fantastic debut and I already can't wait to see what Tracy Sierra will come up with next.

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