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kerryamchugh's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Captivating story about a woman who may or may not be a serial killer... but definitely did NOT kill her now-deceased husband, whom she loved very much. It's always interesting to read about a character who makes horribly immoral choices, and yet still somehow comes across as the "good guy" - definitely makes you think!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Drug use, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
menastarr's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
⇢ 5 ★
i am trusting my favorite booktuber, hailey hughes, with book recs for the foreseeable future. my goodness, this book was SO riveting!! what i loved about this thriller is that, while we do have an exciting plot, i'd say that it was more character driven. this is the first thriller that i actually cared for the characters more than the plot. in my opinion, if there ever was a film adaptation, i think yorgos lanthimos, A24, or david fincher would nail it.
ruby simon is thrown into an interrogation room and is informed that she is being accused of four murders, one including her husband, but the truth is... she's only guilty of three, and she KNOWS she did not kill her husband. i had a roller coaster of emotions for the main character, ruby. she is far from perfect, but that somehow makes her ten times more likable. at times you will question her decisions, and others, you will truly feel for her.
the only thing that i wasn't a huge fan of (but i understand why it was a part of the plot) was the unexpected and abrupt animal death. i was under the guise that this would be a fun and mysterious pool read, and there was a set of particular chapters i landed on while at the pool on vacation that really dampened my mood. if animal death, specifically PET death, is something that you are sensitive to, this book is absolutely still worth the read, but please be aware of this before diving into "blood sugar". in fact, it would be wise to check trigger warnings in general for this book, because there is a handful of them. the ones i listed aren't even the exhaustive list.
as someone who is planning to go into a career of psychotherapy, i LOVED the mental health representation and rothchild's portrayal of psychologists. it felt very authentic, which was a breath of fresh air compared to some other thriller books i have read.
if you want an unputdownable, unforgettable thriller that you will devour in no time, get your hands on "blood sugar" asap!!
౨ৎ TRIGGER WARNINGS
✧ murder
✧ drug use
✧ animal death
✧ death of a loved one
✧ grief
✧ sexual assault
✧ chronic illness
✧ child death
✧ racism
i am trusting my favorite booktuber, hailey hughes, with book recs for the foreseeable future. my goodness, this book was SO riveting!! what i loved about this thriller is that, while we do have an exciting plot, i'd say that it was more character driven. this is the first thriller that i actually cared for the characters more than the plot. in my opinion, if there ever was a film adaptation, i think yorgos lanthimos, A24, or david fincher would nail it.
ruby simon is thrown into an interrogation room and is informed that she is being accused of four murders, one including her husband, but the truth is... she's only guilty of three, and she KNOWS she did not kill her husband. i had a roller coaster of emotions for the main character, ruby. she is far from perfect, but that somehow makes her ten times more likable. at times you will question her decisions, and others, you will truly feel for her.
the only thing that i wasn't a huge fan of (but i understand why it was a part of the plot) was the unexpected and abrupt animal death. i was under the guise that this would be a fun and mysterious pool read, and there was a set of particular chapters i landed on while at the pool on vacation that really dampened my mood. if animal death, specifically PET death, is something that you are sensitive to, this book is absolutely still worth the read, but please be aware of this before diving into "blood sugar". in fact, it would be wise to check trigger warnings in general for this book, because there is a handful of them. the ones i listed aren't even the exhaustive list.
as someone who is planning to go into a career of psychotherapy, i LOVED the mental health representation and rothchild's portrayal of psychologists. it felt very authentic, which was a breath of fresh air compared to some other thriller books i have read.
if you want an unputdownable, unforgettable thriller that you will devour in no time, get your hands on "blood sugar" asap!!
౨ৎ TRIGGER WARNINGS
✧ murder
✧ drug use
✧ animal death
✧ death of a loved one
✧ grief
✧ sexual assault
✧ chronic illness
✧ child death
✧ racism
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Gaslighting
Minor: Racism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
charlottereads_books's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual assault, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Chronic illness and Mental illness
auri_underthing's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Heat. Lies. Decisions.
Pretty good, but not astounding.
Pretty good, but not astounding.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Toxic relationship
elskabee's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
This was a riveting read that was hard to put down! I had heard only a little about this when I picked it up off the library shelf and ended up really enjoying it. The main character is surprisingly sympathetic for the subject matter and I can always appreciate books that are very reflective and spend a lot of time in the character's head or getting to know the character. As such, the first half where we spend time going through all the people who have died around Ruby and get to know about the most important events in her life leading up to the death of her husband was my favourite part.
However, the book lagged a bit in the back half as we follow Ruby dealing with the grief of losing her husband (and alsoher dog prior ) and the investigation into his death. Ruby loses her irreverent charm and her spark, which might be understandable given the circumstances, but when you spend so much time simply getting to understand the character's personality and motivations and how they act... Well for it to be flipped on the reader like that is a bit jarring and a little unsatisfying. I wanted her to fight harder for what she wants, not just become passive like she did.
Anyway, rant over, I still loved this book. I think anyone who enjoys books that have the vibe of "I support women's wrongs" or "good for her" or "she did nothing wrong <3" I would highly recommend this book to. It's chaotic and fast-paced and felt a bit like really fucked up therapy.
However, the book lagged a bit in the back half as we follow Ruby dealing with the grief of losing her husband (and also
Anyway, rant over, I still loved this book. I think anyone who enjoys books that have the vibe of "I support women's wrongs" or "good for her" or "she did nothing wrong <3" I would highly recommend this book to. It's chaotic and fast-paced and felt a bit like really fucked up therapy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death and Sexual assault
a_libraryghost's review against another edition
fast-paced
- 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
3.25
I liked blood sugar, it was fine-but I don’t know if I’d call it a thriller. It barely even counts as a mystery. Ruby is surprisingly a really likeable character and I enjoyed being in her head and I love how the author didn’t fall into the stereotypes of sociopathy and psychopathy. I cared about her and the people she cares about, and all the side characters had distinct identities.
However the depth put into the characters did not seem to carry over to the plot. The story is fast paced and a genuine page turner but the pace is so even that there’s no climax or major low points. I never stopped reading cuz I did want to know what happened next, because nothing had happened. Jason’s death is a low point but we know that’s coming and it’s very heavily hinted how it’s going to happen. There is a bit of a plot twist at the end but it felt very underwhelming and the ending in general felt very rushed and unrealistic.
However the depth put into the characters did not seem to carry over to the plot. The story is fast paced and a genuine page turner but the pace is so even that there’s no climax or major low points. I never stopped reading cuz I did want to know what happened next, because nothing had happened. Jason’s death is a low point but we know that’s coming and it’s very heavily hinted how it’s going to happen. There is a bit of a plot twist at the end but it felt very underwhelming and the ending in general felt very rushed and unrealistic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness and Death
Moderate: Animal death and Sexual assault
Minor: Confinement
krystims's review against another edition
4.0
really liked the way this was written
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Drug abuse and Sexual assault
abbiebonnyman's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
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
4.5
Loved this book. Really makes you think of the concept of morality. Really enjoyed how things mentioned briefly earlier in story have links to later parts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Chronic illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing
brimclala's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use and Sexual assault
grettypop's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
5 stars! woww
Ruby is being accused of her late husband's murder. Which is outrageous, because she obviously didn't kill her own husband! But.... She did kill others....
The book runs on two story lines. One is right now, as she is sitting with the detective, being accused. And another, running us through her whole life starting childhood, and her other murders. To top it all, Ruby is a therapist - she prides herself on knowing people and judging them correctly.
I was taken by this incredibly fast-paced novel! It plays it Miami too, making it a great summer read. Ruby is so dang likeable, that the murders of her past feel basically justified. The people she has offed seem like they had it coming. I found myself loving her, and rooting for her, despite everything going on.
HIGHLY recommend!
Ruby is being accused of her late husband's murder. Which is outrageous, because she obviously didn't kill her own husband! But.... She did kill others....
The book runs on two story lines. One is right now, as she is sitting with the detective, being accused. And another, running us through her whole life starting childhood, and her other murders. To top it all, Ruby is a therapist - she prides herself on knowing people and judging them correctly.
I was taken by this incredibly fast-paced novel! It plays it Miami too, making it a great summer read. Ruby is so dang likeable, that the murders of her past feel basically justified. The people she has offed seem like they had it coming. I found myself loving her, and rooting for her, despite everything going on.
HIGHLY recommend!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Stalking, Murder, and Gaslighting