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rachelle_reads's review
4.25
This was going to be a 5 star book for me until the last 50 pages or so. Everything wrapped up too neatly.
One other complaint has to do with the role of the psychiatrist. I appreciated how the author used this character to help us understand Annie’s OCD. But the psychiatrist did a lot of things that are quite unrealistic.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, and I look forward to reading more from this author as she hones her thriller writing skills.
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
magyklyxdelish'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Car accident
Moderate: Animal death, Infidelity, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
Minor: Racism, Sexual assault, Police brutality, War, and Classism
bitesizedbeet's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Alcohol and War
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Racism, Blood, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
- 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
I enjoy an unreliable narrator (like, as in we have no idea if we should be trusting her or not for the majority of the book, because she barely trusts herself!)
Though this wasn't my favorite (I had issues with the pacing especially, because I did have to will myself to pick this back up sometimes), I would try out another psychological thriller from the author in the future. I appreciated the OCD representation without wholly villainizing the person with OCD, and spotlighting mental disability as "evil" as it typically is in this genre especially.
Check trigger warnings below and take care while reading
Graphic: Animal death, Mental illness, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child death, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Fire/Fire injury
rachelcoconut's review
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
julessssss's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Annie is an unreliable narrator and I found myself both caring deeply for her but also disliking her (which was a perfect balance). I was compelled to know what was going to happen next and what information was being withheld, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.
I did feel like the resolution was a little lackluster though, and if I would tweak anything about this novel, it would be that.
I will be back for more of what this author does in the future.
I cannot say I would recommend this to just anyone (if you are interested, consider looking at a list of trigger/content warnings), however, if you are a horror or thriller fan, this might be a great fit.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishing team for granting me a free and advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: War
cozy_little_booknook's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I love a thriller. I especially love a thriller that’s dealing with larger issues beyond the crime(s) themselves. The way Nguyen writes about the immigrant experience, PTSD, mental illness, mother/daughter relationships, and generational trauma is important and timely. At times, the messaging can be heavy handed if the reader considers themselves slightly versed in the topic(s) above, but overall the writing was a welcome addition to the thriller as a whole.
Where the novel lost me was in the pacing and time jumps. A lot of the chapters in the middle section of the book generally ended on the same note or even the same sentence. Some chapters felt like lateral moves as opposed to steps in the plot. It was also difficult to keep track of where in the overall story a certain chapter was taking place. Both of these aspects messed with the pacing and took me out of the story.
Overall, I would generally recommend this book to someone who enjoys thrillers and family dramas, but I would warn them of the pacing issues in advance.
Graphic: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Racism, Sexual content, and Police brutality
Minor: Child death, Sexual assault, and Fire/Fire injury