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manda_lee's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Gun violence, Child abuse, Abandonment, Murder, Pregnancy, and Suicide attempt
bookcheshirecat's review against another edition
3.0
“Yellow wallpaper. White grip. Red hand.”
➽ No One Can Know is Kate Alice Marshall's newest Thriller! I have to admit that I had some mixed feelings on this one. The story follows Emma who was accused of having killed her parents years ago and is still struggling with this trauma. Back then she protected her two sisters Juliette and Daphne, but they're now estranged and haven't spoken in years. When she has to come back to town and live in her parent's old house because she has no choice, Emma discovers that her past isn't done with her yet!
➽ My favorite thing about this book was the complicated sibling relationship! The focus is on Emma, but her sisters also get POVs - both in the past and present. They grew up with an abusive father and a controlling mother who expected them to fit into their roles perfectly. Each girl dealt with this in her own way. Juliette played the perfect daughter, always trying to cater to her parents so no one looks closer and gets suspicious of her. Emma never managed that so she lashed out and became a troublemaker. She dreamt of going to art school away from her parents, but they weren't planning on letting her go. Daphne is neurodivergent (it's not really explored in more depth though) and gets panic attacks sometimes, so she had a hard time during her childhood. Her mother was super ableist and never got her the proper care she needed, so she had to be quiet and keep everyone's secrets.
➽ After their parents were murdered, the three sisters drifted apart and couldn't look past what happened. Emma did everything to protect them but felt rejected and left behind. I felt sorry for her, as she was terrified everyone else would leave her like her sisters did. She keeps putting herself in smaller boxes and unlike in the past, she tries to cater to everyone's needs to make them stay.
➽ I think I just don't enjoy Domestic Thrillers, as despite KAM being an amazing author, I had some issues with this book. I much preferred What Lies in the Woods! The author does a good job of writing a compelling book, but I thought the mystery wasn't as engaging as I hoped it would be. The twists didn't really shock me and when I think about it now, the ending didn't really satisfy me. I wouldn't say that the mystery was predictable, but I don't think I cared about it too much. I also hated how big of a role Emma's horrible husband Nathan played. I wish I had known beforehand how controlling and abusive he was. There were a lot of red flags from the beginning, but the longer the book goes on, the more obvious it becomes that their relationship is toxic. It was difficult to read about, especially as it took Emma until the very end of the book to realize how abusive Nathan was and that she shouldn't feel guilty for not loving him. The first half of the book was dominated by Nathan gaslighting, belittling and controlling Emma. I could have done without the abusive husband storyline and would have loved more insight into the estranged sisters in the present.
Graphic: Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Ableism, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Death, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Car accident, Abortion, Homophobia, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Drug use, and Stalking
shesflippinpages'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
2.75
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Car accident, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Stalking, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Murder, Pregnancy, and Medical trauma
Minor: Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Cancer, Homophobia, Animal cruelty, Police brutality, Vomit, Addiction, Body shaming, Infertility, Outing, Car accident, and Eating disorder
carolynlovesbooks's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Gun violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Homophobia, and Drug abuse
rosesandstuff's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I also felt like this is a rereadable book to look for foreshadowing, near the end I noticed an awesome use of chekhovs gun that I wouldn’t be able to miss if I reread it, it would change the whole interpretation.
I really loved Juliette’s perspectives and overall the bouncing between “then” and “now”, although the timeline of “then” confused me a bit sometimes. Would definitely recommend giving it a read if you want to try and figure it out, I’m semi-new to mysteries like this and I’d say I was about half right with my predictions.
Graphic: Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Child abuse, Blood, Murder, Death of parent, and Car accident
Moderate: Suicide, Homophobia, Alcohol, Sexual assault, and Drug use
ashleechmiel's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Drug use, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Murder, Homophobia, Gun violence, Eating disorder, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Alcoholism
morethanmylupus's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Body shaming, Child abuse, and Murder
kimveach's review
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, Death, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Sexual content, Gun violence, Infidelity, Murder, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Medical trauma, Violence, Vomit, Blood, Child abuse, Car accident, Drug use, Self harm, Drug abuse, Bullying, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Gore, and Toxic relationship
booksbytheglass's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
opening the story with a double homicide was the perfect way to draw readers in!! it gave us just enough information to be suspicious, but not enough to give anything away. and it introduced us to the three sisters, emma, juliette and daphne, in a big way.
the mystery surrounding what happened to the sisters in the past unfolded at a fantastic pace. the flashbacks gave us just another tidbit of information to keep the reader guessing before immediately switching back to present day to jolt the reader out of thinking too much!
the main twists, yes there’s multiple, at the end, however, ended up being slightly predictable. the problem with a small town setting is that the number of suspects is smaller than most - and because of that, I was able to narrow down who the culprit was pretty easily.
nonetheless, this story was so fast-paced and addicting!! 🫡 I seriously could not put it down even though it was 2am and I really needed sleep lol
thank you to netgalley and flat iron books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: virginia rosé
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Physical abuse
Minor: Lesbophobia and Homophobia