Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin

9 reviews

emilywemily6's review against another edition

mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This was a solid whodunit with an interesting premise involving two timelines. I enjoyed seeing the journal entries being relevant in the present day timeline and found both timelines engaging. However, there were too many characters to keep track of, which made the ending/conclusion felt a bit rushed since the characters weren’t flushed out as well as I would have liked. And while I enjoyed the protagonist, some parts of their behavior and dialogue were stilted and obviously intended to just move the plot along- like how Annie called her best friend to talk about evidence and draw conclusions. I would really like to read another book by this author and with these characters.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Violence, Toxic friendship, Death, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Alcohol, Gun violence, and Medical content

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

bessadams's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, and Death

Moderate: Drug abuse, Violence, Gun violence, and Pregnancy

Minor: Vomit, Alcohol, and Car accident

goldenlake's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Murder, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Death of parent, Gore, Blood, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug use, and Mental illness

Minor: Alcohol, Homophobia, Dementia, Infertility, Vomit, Grief, and Infidelity

tamara_joy's review against another edition

mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Murder, Death, Medical content, Pregnancy, Classism, and Vomit

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Alcohol, Drug use, and Infertility

blakeandbooks's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

Thank you to Dutton Books and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had a good time reading this one. Having both Annie’s present perspective and Frances’s past perspectives (via diary) was a great way to keep me invested in the story. The few twists and turns that happened were interesting but not earth-shattering: I definitely think the story felt rushed in some areas making it difficult for me to connect certain characters with others. However, I did read it fairly quickly and it wasn’t difficult to read at all. I liked the conclusion and how everything was wrapped up and solved. 

CW: murder, death, toxic friendships, infidelity, alcohol consumption

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Death, Murder, and Alcohol

ms_elchert's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Grief, Child death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Death, Murder, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Classism, Pregnancy, Violence, Blood, and Alcohol

Minor: Homophobia, Car accident, Outing, and Vomit

purplepenning's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

3.5

Really wanted to love it, but my interest kept wandering, which made it difficult to keep a large cast of characters in two different timelines straight. Great premise, but maybe a tighter edit would've been more to my tastes. I was unexpectedly bored and annoyed by the 1960s bright young things timeline — teen drama often affects me that way. And the present-day story managed to be both packed with clues and yet lacking a sense of urgency to drive it. I did enjoy that it felt like a fair, classical mystery, though — I had half of it figured out before the reveal.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship

Moderate: Grief, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Gaslighting, Murder, Death, Drug abuse, Medical content, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Alcohol, Physical abuse, Violence, Car accident, Pregnancy, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Death of parent, Infertility, and Sexual content

needles, including

attempted forced injection

eperetz's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The characters and perspectives in this story were incredible. As an avid murder mystery reader, the plot kept me guessing and kept me engaged with even the smallest details. And if you wanted to turn this into a series of Annie and Crane solving the other crimes Frances uncovered over the years I would read every word. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Toxic friendship, Panic attacks/disorders, and Infidelity

Moderate: Gaslighting

Minor: Grief, Pregnancy, Body horror, Car accident, Gun violence, Alcohol, Classism, Sexual content, and Vomit

torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Infertility, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical content, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Violence, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, and Gaslighting

Minor: Car accident and Outing