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miss_erikat's review
2.0
Honestly? What even happened in this story? They had me in the first chunk but it never went anywhere and I actually ended up getting physically sick to my stomach from the description of her breast-feeding pain, and I had to take a break from listening to the book for the day.
I didn’t even finish the last 10 minutes of the audiobook. As soon as they said, “six years later,” I was like yeah I’m done.
I feel like they didn’t really answer anything and are we left to just assume that there is this black haired woman poltergeist that haunts every mother? And I hated that they brought Shannon in near the end, they should have left her an ambiguous character or dead. I was disappointed, I was hoping for an actual scary book but really it’s just postpartum depression??
Was I the only one kinda hoping for a Bloody Mary or La Llorona horror story? My boyfriend was listening with me during most of the book and like almost little over 2/3 into it he said “if this is all just an allegory I’m gonna be mad” and I’m mad that he was right LOL
I didn’t even finish the last 10 minutes of the audiobook. As soon as they said, “six years later,” I was like yeah I’m done.
I feel like they didn’t really answer anything and are we left to just assume that there is this black haired woman poltergeist that haunts every mother? And I hated that they brought Shannon in near the end, they should have left her an ambiguous character or dead. I was disappointed, I was hoping for an actual scary book but really it’s just postpartum depression??
Was I the only one kinda hoping for a Bloody Mary or La Llorona horror story? My boyfriend was listening with me during most of the book and like almost little over 2/3 into it he said “if this is all just an allegory I’m gonna be mad” and I’m mad that he was right LOL
siobhanward's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book had a lot of potential and while there were some moments that were solidly creepy, it felt like things were repetitive to the point of getting boring. I think if this book had been a short story it would have been a lot more effective. As it was, it felt like Monroe wasn't quite sure what she was doing with the story, which made the characters and plot feel a bit underdeveloped for a novel. That being said, the premise was solid and I'd love to read more from Monroe in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Violence, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Murder
herthrillingreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bookbabe_1998's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
haunted_atoms's review
3.5
I think maybe if I already had or had any interest in ever having kids, I would identify with Olivia better. But since I don't, I honestly just found her kind of annoying at times. I'm not going to pretend to understand what birthing or motherhood is like, but I feel like the experience is almost necessary to truly enjoy this book. That being said, I was horrified the entire time *because* I find giving birth and having a kid so repulsive. Every anti-maternal bone in my body (which is all my bones to be honest) was like "see, you absolutely made the right choice" so kudos to the author for conjuring such an absolutely visceral reaction from me.
adymackenzie's review
5.0
A wonderfully creepy story told through two different timelines of mother and daughter…
vespurr's review
5.0
I loved this book so much more than I expected to. It was recommended to me on the Kindle app and the premise really stuck out to me. I am a huge fan of dual-narrative stories and I tore through this one. Some parts were hard to read, and there were a few descriptions that turned my stomach (broken fingernails ALWAYS get me). Although it turned out about like I expected, I found this to be a really worth-while read.
tbchez's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
afrp's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
3.25
I have a lot of thoughts about this book and it's going to take me a while to process. On one level, it's a perfectly competent horror story that doesn't hit so hard with me because I don't have or plan on having children. On the other, I wonder about the message? I'll definitely be chewing this over for a while.