Reviews with content warning for Stalking - The Butterfly Garden

This is an intense and gripping thriller with each detail more shocking than the last. The switching of perspectives can get a little confusing sometimes and the timeline isn’t always clear, but the MC’s perseverance is incredible. What I didn’t like was the author’s tendency to describe her expression as anything but a smile. It got tedious after a while.

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zoemain'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? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Um, okay, so I loved this book! It is certainly not for a sensitive audience because there are many very disturbing themes and ideas. However, if you’re like me and love dark, twisted fictions, I cannot recommend this more. There is also a dystopian aspect to the novel that I really enjoyed. And the characters were so complex! I was fascinated by the Gardener and his sons and loved all of the girls.
The reviews stating that the Butterflies could have easily escaped their entrapment are not wrong. The logic in this book is flawed, but I could easily overlook this. I should probably take a star off because I felt like the book could have been longer and therefore given some more insight into the Garden. Oh, also, every description of layout in this novel is extremely confusing. I employed the help of my friends to translate descriptions of surroundings a few times but they couldn’t fathom what Hutchison had written either.
But I loved the rest of the writing. I loved the way the book focused on the story of the Garden but also gave insight into Maya’s backstory and the police interviews. So it’s a 5 stars from me! Read the content warnings before purchasing.

Content Warnings

jacquelinepon's review

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

2.0

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approx37bugz's review

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Ending of the book felt very rushed. I personally did not like some of the ways the author decided to take the ending of the novel. This book has very dark content TW include: violence against women, harsh language, drug use, sexual assault.

Content Warnings

beauty_andbooks's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

While this had a creep essence to it, the story more relied on the story of friendship and community among the “butterflies” in the garden. I wanted more creepy than the friendship factor. I think most people who aren’t used to true crime thrillers will think this is a fine book but the synopsis sort of tricked me into thinking it would be a terrifying read.

Another thing to keep in mind is there are no chapters. So keeping track of the story can be tough sometimes. It goes between past and present with a border symbol that breaks them apart. It’s an interesting format. This books is also part of a 4 book series but all the books in the series involve totally different crime stories with just the same detectives. So for me personally, I will not be investing my time in reading the others.

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