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izypup's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
AJ is a teenager in this version but legally an adult so while iffy not technically anything wrong with it.
Rhi, to me, is both more and less likable in the book. And her actions make remotely more sense. Neither are better or worse, just different.
Focusing only on the book now:
Rhi obviously
There's no doubt that Rhi is an unreliable narrator. We hear only her side and the snippets of what characters say to her.
I didn't realize this was a series getting into it and I probably won't be reading them since I thought the snippets were a 'jokey' Rhi gets published after all and it's her fictionalized exploits. But I guess it was real.
I might have been too generous with the rating but it was overall a fun and interesting enough read.
There is a character who has self-harm scars and threatens/attempts suicide throughout the book and is generally referred to as crazy
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Ableism, Confinement, Rape, Toxic relationship, Grief, Stalking, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Cancer, Child death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual content, Torture, Vomit, Kidnapping, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
ellissej's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Suicide attempt
whackettreading's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Minor: Car accident and Abortion
jordanez's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Fatphobia and Rape
Minor: Child death, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Torture, Vomit, Kidnapping, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
grunbean's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I have seen some comments on the remarks Rhiannon makes, particularly the comment on Taylor Swift. I have, in good faith, assumed that that's down to Rhiannon fundamentally being a bad person despite her rationalizing her actions. However, I do understand how these can leave a bad taste in the mouth.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Pedophilia, Self harm, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
stalattgal's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Abortion, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
chsm8's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Gore, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Infertility, Rape, Self harm, Blood, Vomit, Car accident, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
gryffinguin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Murder, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Gore, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Suicide, Kidnapping, and Alcohol
Minor: Child death, Eating disorder, Rape, and Death of parent
billorwill's review
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
beate251's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Rhiannon, 27, lives with her cheating boyfriend Craig and Chihuahua Tink. She hates her job and has anger management issues stemming from deep-seated childhood trauma. In her free time, she plays with Sylvanian families, walks her little dog and kills people like the unhinged psychopath and serial killer she is.
I have a penchant for female serial killers who go after bad men but she is actually trying to lure them in by walking around deserted alleys at night. She doesn't shy away from killing women, and she derives sexual pleasure from her bloodthirsty deeds. So I was quite uncomfortable reading her matter-of-fact diary entries about balancing her deadly shenanigans with meeting friends and pretending to be normal.
I have to say her daily kill lists - strangers who annoyed her that day by queue jumping, overcharging or other heinous crimes - are kind of relatable but after a while she makes very sweeping statements and I found myself on them twice ("Everyone who lives or works in London" and later "the entire human race").
Once she complains about people who make grammatical mistakes but says "me and Craig" instead of "Craig and I" all the time! Personally, that needled me greatly, but Rhiannon's thoughts and behaviour are at no point logical, as she admits herself. For example, absolutely everyone who manages to lock two in-flagrante rapists in a van would drive that van to the nearest police station. But not her. Oh no. She finds a much more deranged but ever so entertaining solution.
I actually felt sorry for her a few times about how utterly unhappy she seems to be. But instead of throwing her boyfriend out (she knows all about the affair) or changing her job she gets her kicks by killing people. At the end, the tally I counted was 11 people, two of them historic. That's a lot! You need a strong stomach for this book - the gory stuff often comes out of nowhere. She also swears like a whole ship full of sailors.
Despite all this I was kind of mesmerised and read this twisted, deeply gripping and darkly funny tale as fast as I could. It's brilliantly written but dare I say 100 pages too long, especially as this is only the first of five books in this series. The cliffhanger makes me want to read the next one NOW because I must know how she gets out of the situation she is in - pregnant and just about to hack her dead lover to pieces when the doorbell goes!
"How many men does it take to tile a bathroom? One – but only if you slice him veeeeery thinly."
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Miscarriage