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greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
Moderate: Car accident, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Murder, Child death, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Abortion, Pregnancy, Rape, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Blood, Death, Gore, Emotional abuse, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual harassment, and Toxic relationship
mrsmishler's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Miscarriage, Murder, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
aas'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
4.75
Graphic: Sexual violence, Gore, Abandonment, Murder, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Blood, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Violence, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Rape
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
3.25
“Homes were supposed to be safe havens, meant to protect. It was supposed to be a shelter from the elements, a fortress to keep out evil, and her home had betrayed Josie in the worst possible way.”
WARNING: another unpopular opinion review!
My first two experiences with this author were excellent, so I fully expected to have a great time reading The Overnight Guest as well. The premise has everything I love in a thriller: a bookish angle, a remote setting, a bout of bad weather to further isolate the main character... But in the end there was something about the execution of the plot that didn't hit the mark for me. Is it just a case of wrong expectations and not being in the mood for the story that was presented instead? Maybe. But the fact is that somehow this story just didn't work as well for me personally. This has a lot to do with the structure of the plot. The Overnight Guest is divided into three storylines, and only the present POV is the one as described in the blurb. Then there is a flashback POV to 2000 where we see the events surrounding the crime that took place in the house featured in the present POV... And last but not least, a POV that has serious Room vibes following a young girl and her mother locked up and being abused. Especially the third POV kind of came out of nowhere for me, and it wasn't a POV I particularly liked even though it was well written. Reading about active (child)abuse just wasn't what I had signed up for when I started this story...
The pace in general was also a lot slower than expected, but I think this has a lot to do with the constant POV switches. These switches were way too frequent in my opinion, and the story would have benefitted considerably from staying with one storyline more than a couple of pages. And while part of me can appreciate how everything was woven together in the end, it also ment having to accept way too many coincidences and it just wasn't credible anymore. I did love the ominous atmosphere of the present POV, and the storm is very well done. I think my reaction to The Overnight Guest is the result of overcomplicating the plot, and as a result it all felt a bit disjointed during most of the story. And while I can understand the third POV featuring the girl being included, I would have enjoyed this story SO much better without it. In short: interesting start, WAY too many POV switches, undesirable POV and over the top conclusion with way too many coincidences. Not the story for me, but most people do seem to enjoy it better so it might just have been my fickle reading mood acting up again.
Graphic: Gaslighting, Vomit, Miscarriage, Stalking, Death of parent, Death, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Infidelity, Blood, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Violence, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Physical abuse
rachel_stout's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Miscarriage, Gun violence, Adult/minor relationship, Pregnancy, Rape, Domestic abuse, Violence, Murder, Death of parent, Child death, and Grief
greatexpectations77's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, Confinement, Car accident, Child death, Bullying, Death of parent, Child abuse, Grief, Death, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Gore, Misogyny, and Murder
Moderate: Abandonment, Eating disorder, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, and Rape
Minor: Vomit, Torture, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, and Abortion
ladyinverse's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Abortion, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Blood, Car accident, Gun violence, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Child abuse
nporter5'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
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Pregnancy, Death, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Murder, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Vomit, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, and Violence
Minor: Rape
bekah1210's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
3.25
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Rape, Child death, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Child abuse, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy
emeraldsanto's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Blood, Car accident, Death, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, and Alcoholism