Scan barcode
dreamingofsmiles's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual assault
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicide, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Addiction, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
lucashearn1's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Definitely lots of yuck, icky, gross moments. Very un-comfy at times. I liked the character of Maya/Inara. She’s flawed but was a super interesting journey and character development as time went on. The relationships between the girls felt very real and we got a villain we can detest.
My biggest gripe comes with the last 20ish pages, I did not vibe with that reveal and I feel like it kinda tainted a big portion of the story. All in all an interesting read.
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
lcampbell1003'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
4.0
The way the novel was written kept me invested. Back and forth between first person account and third person as told via interviews with FBI detectives who added the needed levity and warmth to balance things a bit.
This was an interesting one! 🙃
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
snickells's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
makenna_reads'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? No
4.0
Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Pregnancy
devonsonnessa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing
kendallhoward's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Forced institutionalization and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
dmackreads's review
5.0
You may read this book and find it unrealistic like some people because you feel like what I just said is how you’d handle this situation if it were you but everyone handles trauma differently and a lot of people shut down. You also don’t really know that for sure unless it were you. The fear of consequence doesn’t always seem worth the risk. Let’s also not forget… it’s literally fiction.
This book was disturbing and kept me so engaged. I didn’t want to stop reading. I needed to know the details about what they were experiencing, how it ended, if they escaped, who survived if any, etc., I wasn’t fond of the writing style at first but I got over it and got used to it.
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Pregnancy
heyitsa_ashley's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Physical abuse, Rape, and Murder
Moderate: Cursing, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Kidnapping, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Pregnancy
thatswhatshanread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.75
Dot Hutchison’s mind?????? This was one of the more disturbing books I’ve ever read, an intricately woven psychological suspense thriller of captivity and control.
I was fascinated by this story, with every terrifying and twisted detail revealed, every piece of the puzzle notched into place then thrown back into the pile of crazy. The writing was very fast-paced and the dual POVs lended well to this kind of storytelling—one from the main character during her days of being held captive, the other from the FBI agent interviewing her in the aftermath of her rescue. There are no “chapters” per se, but none of it ever feels like it’s dragging.
I don’t want to give anything away about the plot and how insane it truly is, but this book definitely gave me serious chills and thought spirals. It reminded me of The OA a lot, as well as “Pretty Girls” by Karin Slaughter, both of which I loved. But overall it’s a very unique story of abduction, delusion and survival.
I took off a quarter of a star only because there was one element of the ending that seemed a little too coincidental!!
Only other thing I would say is this book is riddled with graphic, upsetting descriptions and depictions. Pretty much any trigger you can think of is in this book so it’s not for the faint of heart, like at all.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, Pregnancy, and Alcohol