Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney

64 reviews

v171's review against another edition

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

1.0

Yuck.

The good: Paced how you'd expect a thriller book to be paced. The twists at the end were interesting.

The bad: I don't like the concept of an unreliable narrator being used as a plot device. It was burdensome to have to mentally track what was true and false throughout the entire story. I found all of the characters to be unlikable, but I think some were written in a way that I was supposed to sympathize with them. Shifting POV is fine when done well, but I found it to be disruptive in this book. However, the automatic 1 star for me was the multiple instances of rape and sexual assault. There are better, more creative ways to make me to hate a character than making them a rape a woman in a coma. I found it to be a lazy way to add shock factor to a story that didn't need i 
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michelie101's review against another edition

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

5.0

WOW this book is dark and twisted. The book is centered around Amber who starts off in a coma. She doesn't know how she got there and starts recounting the last couple of days she remembers. You also hear excerpts from a journal and what people around her say in the hospital. The more you hear these 3 things the more the puzzle starts to clear up but it isn't until the end what actually occurs. It is very twisted and kind of a sad story for everyone involved. This is one of the first thriller books that I've read and really enjoyed. 
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shereadytoread's review against another edition

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

4.0

This book is a slow burn and then explodes. The focus is obviously on the sister in a coma and how her past and current life are slowly revealed. There is one expected red herring towards the beginning but then the true twists happen and they land each time. 
The last 1/3 of the book, there is a reveal every few pages and they all work and push the plot and character reveals. The MC is relatable for most of the book. A woman in a job that isn't that fulfilling, with a boss that is rude, a marriage that is strained but she wants it to work and the insecurities that result from both. 
The supporting cast of her sister and her husband are a good foil of one another that adds to the overall tension. Even the very brief appearance of the parents adds more to the story. Overall this thriller was well crafted and it shows. 

Content warning: There is some use of sexual assault that seems wholly unnecessary and doesn't add anything to the plot. I think this would have been a 5 star read for me if not for that addition. 
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ellalafontant's review against another edition

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

4.5

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