Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce

43 reviews

vjlp22_reader's review against another edition

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dark 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

2.5


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elmewhy's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

~~2 Stars~~ 14th March 2022

This book just wasn't for me, the pacing was too slow and everything was just unlikeable.
To begin, I wouldn't have put this in the Thriller genre as it wasn't until around 250 pages where things got interesting -
When Matilda went "missing" and everything started to unspiral
. Even by that point we just went through the motions, maybe one or two things at the end were quite shocking but by this time we've had nearly 300 pages to get through, nothing was 'edge of your seat gripping' or had me excited to know the ending.
None of the characters were likable, I believe intentional, but it didn't make me want to read more I wasn't supporting anyone or wanting to see their ending. No lessons were learned for the characters and you couldn't really take anything from this book as a reader either.


Details
-Plot: slow-paced
-TW: Death, Murder, Blood, Rape, Sexual Assault, Alcoholism, Suicide
-Ending Happy/Sad/Unfinished:
Sad. Nothing really feels good about it 

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elise_allberry's review against another edition

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

2.75

This book was an enjoyable and quick read, but I feel that the author tried to juggle too many elements in one book and the ending felt kind of rushed and random, even though it was a satisfying ending.

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annaf1tz's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • 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

5.0


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hannahelizza556's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This was a really great book. It had suspense, short chapters which made me want to keep reading. at first, I was wondering how this book would unfold - Alison's high powered job mixed in with her extramarital activities, keeping a family and drinking too much. Alison has been given her first murder trial but it isn't quite what she's expecting...  

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kathryn_a's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-paced
  • 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

3.0


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definebookish's review against another edition

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

2.0


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outsmartyourshelf's review against another edition

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

3.5

Alison has a great career as a barrister & a lovely family of husband & young daughter, but she's also has a drinking problem & is having an affair with a colleague, Patrick. Her next case is a woman accused of murdering her husband, & Alison feels that there is more to the story than initially given. Then Alison starts receiving anonymous texts - someone knows about her affair & now everything is at risk.

At the beginning of the book, Alison really doesn't come across as a very sympathetic main character. As the plot unfolds however, the reader gradually comes to suspect that some of her issues are being manipulated behind the scenes. Without saying too much & giving away the plot, I was very suspicious of a particular character as they seemed almost 'incel-ish' from the way they acted & spoke at times & it turned out I was right to be suspicious. It's not an easy book to read, there's some sexual content that skates very near to sexual assault at times but this is due to particular plot point. Overall it was an intriguing debut novel that deals with difficult issues. 



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sorcha's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25


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natashajade's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

3.5

The writing was sloppy and pretty badly done, yet the plot and realness of the characters made it so enjoyable I couldn't book the down. Finished within 24 hours. Amazing twist (an incredibly twisted one at that) at the end!

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