Take a photo of a barcode or cover
rhiannonisgreat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This book was incredibly traumatic to read as a mother and as a woman. Starting with the Noelle's perspective where she explains meeting Floyd. She was clearly falling in love with him and this man found her attractive 'enough' but not really. At first it was clear he only wanted sex even though she was a Virgin at an old age. Any intelligent man could see she was interested in more. I am not at all sympathizing with her but his actions led her to do some crazy things just to "keep" him so to speak.
Next there of course is the kidnapping of ellie. A bright young girl who just wanted to pass her exams and graduate with her boyfriend at the time. She was kidnapped and for a long time didn't even know why. Then suddenly this teenager was pregnant, forced to have the baby with no medication in a filthy basement where she eventually passed away dreaming of her mother. As a mom these are some of my deepest fears, not to mention that she was so close to home and never found. If you have read this far into my reveiw and still want to read this book, you have been warned.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder
ramato31's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Pregnancy
helloscandal's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Pregnancy
dominique_f's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicide, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Abandonment
hannahvsd's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.75
Graphic: Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
snowhite197's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, and Grief
shaleen64's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Whilst none of the characters are lovable in the traditional sense they are well explored which adds depth to the story.
The ending is what both Laurel and Poppy deserved but I couldn't help feeling some sympathy for Floyd. A good entry thriller, but if you enjoy shocking twists and turns maybe give this one a miss.
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Death of parent
Minor: Drug use and Suicide
missmethven'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? No
2.5
But it does fall short on a few things. Some of it is a bit far fetched and happens too quickly - for example we find out that Ellie is dead very early on (definitely could have been avoided) and why would Noelle’s mum suddenly go into a deep convo about her private relationship with her daughter and her disappearance with a total stranger or Floyd realising everything was going wrong so admitted it all and then killed himself in the same day (also was Laurel and Poppy meant to just go to the Christmas Eve party and act as if the situation was completely normal?)
I also wish there was more of a twist - I felt so excited by all the what-ifs and how it all tied together but it was quite drawn out so by the time we find out exactly what happened it falls slightly flat, sucking out the tension that was in previous chapters. And don’t get my started on that epilogue 🫠 the final thing that I didn’t really enjoy was the switching of people narrating the story - it’s interesting because although I liked hearing the situation from different perspectives, it didn’t flow well in the end
Graphic: Confinement and Kidnapping
Moderate: Death, Grief, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Drug abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, and Death of parent
erincies's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Confinement, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Grief, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Pregnancy
Minor: Domestic abuse, Infertility, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Murder
m_moon's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
1.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting