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Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison

20 reviews

lindshus3's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0


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spaghettii's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

Check the trigger warnings if you have literally anything that you want to avoid reading about

that ending was dumb asf. Like you're telling me her roommate escaped and left all the other girls to die?? Like how would he get custody of her child if he is caught for kidnapping children,,,,
Why was it written as if there was an unreliable narrator when she did not lie a single time??
I also don't get how she would've wanted the dude (Desmen?) to survive when he was complicit for 6 months and had to be convinced by the rape and kidnapping of a 12 year old just to call the police because he didn't want to upset his mom??

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mckinleyelle's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0


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mj_lohmeyer's review

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dark sad

1.0

Too graphic, disturbing, and dark and not in a good way… more like a depressing boring way. 

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lethridge's review against another edition

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

4.0


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katy_four's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-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? It's complicated

3.75


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sshammyss's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0


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phoricho's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I initially rated this book 4 stars, but after a couple of months of it living rent-free in my mind, I decided to change that to a 5 star. My original rating was more due to the fact that this book left me not knowing how to feel. It was so different from anything I've ever read, both in content and layout. 

Content-wise, it's a very dark book, and the characters go through numerous traumas. It's not for everyone. Check the trigger warnings.

Layout-wise, there are no chapters. That's unique, but it works with the story. There are two parts, and the POVs are broken up by section breaks. 

Yes, it's a horrifying story, but I thought it was beautifully told, and the characters felt so real. I'm excited to read the rest of the series. 

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sarahcrowell's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Check trigger warnings before reading. Dark concept but a great book overall.

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jasminewolfe's review against another edition

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

4.5

This is a very challenging read since it touches on some very traumatic themes and actions. I found that they way the author unfolds the story and utilizes the unique voice of the main character to be an admirable way to speak on such difficult things.

It's easy for me to be turned off from any story which involves female pain because so often it is done for shock factor or as a means to push forth a man's storyline or character development. However, the reality is that women experience a myriad of trauma due to their gender, and to avoid ever writing about wouldn't serve us either.

Dot Hutchison does a wonderful job of creating complex characters who are flawed and beautiful, and through their eyes we are able to digest the horrors of this book alongside the triumphs. So, while the plot might be one hindering on the suffering of girls, the lesson we learn is about love, family and sisterhood.

I loved this book.

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