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A Mac's Reviews > Don't Let Her Stay
Don't Let Her Stay
by
by
TW: MAJOR gaslighting
Joanne is happily married, has a healthy baby, and doesn’t have to work. She’s a little lonely, but she knows how lucky she is. But then her husband’s daughter Chloe, from his first marriage, unexpectedly visits. She offers to extend her visit to babysit, but Jo can’t help but feel that something is off. Then when contradictions keep arising that make Jo feel like she’s losing her mind, she realize she may have made a horrible mistake by letting Chloe into her home.
I enjoyed the beginning of the work, getting to know the characters and their lives. The conflict was introduced quickly and started off interesting, but then when the gaslighting really kicked in I found this read less enjoyable. I had a difficult time finding it realistic, just because the gaslighting was so over the top. One of the most terrifying things about it is how subtle and twisted it can be, but much of it in this work was so overdone that it felt absurd that the protagonist questioned anything. It also became repetitive to the point where I think the author should have trimmed back some of these scenes. I honestly wondered why Jo didn’t just record conversations on her phone or something similar – it would’ve been so easy. But about 80 to 85 percent in, things escalated quickly, and I found myself caught up in the story again. I quite enjoyed this last portion of the book as well as the conclusion.
Jo wasn’t necessarily a likeable character, but I think that worked well in this book. As for the other characters, I wanted more – her husband was basically just a cardboard man who moved around between work and home and seemed a little changeable when it came to his stance on things and his attitude. Chloe was decently written but again, the way the gaslighting was so heavy handed made me annoyed and it was pretty much her only character trait.
This was a fine domestic thriller that was actually a thriller! DO NOT read this if gaslighting affects you strongly – I honestly almost had to quit this read because of it. My thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to read this book, which was published on 7 March 2023. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Joanne is happily married, has a healthy baby, and doesn’t have to work. She’s a little lonely, but she knows how lucky she is. But then her husband’s daughter Chloe, from his first marriage, unexpectedly visits. She offers to extend her visit to babysit, but Jo can’t help but feel that something is off. Then when contradictions keep arising that make Jo feel like she’s losing her mind, she realize she may have made a horrible mistake by letting Chloe into her home.
I enjoyed the beginning of the work, getting to know the characters and their lives. The conflict was introduced quickly and started off interesting, but then when the gaslighting really kicked in I found this read less enjoyable. I had a difficult time finding it realistic, just because the gaslighting was so over the top. One of the most terrifying things about it is how subtle and twisted it can be, but much of it in this work was so overdone that it felt absurd that the protagonist questioned anything. It also became repetitive to the point where I think the author should have trimmed back some of these scenes. I honestly wondered why Jo didn’t just record conversations on her phone or something similar – it would’ve been so easy. But about 80 to 85 percent in, things escalated quickly, and I found myself caught up in the story again. I quite enjoyed this last portion of the book as well as the conclusion.
Jo wasn’t necessarily a likeable character, but I think that worked well in this book. As for the other characters, I wanted more – her husband was basically just a cardboard man who moved around between work and home and seemed a little changeable when it came to his stance on things and his attitude. Chloe was decently written but again, the way the gaslighting was so heavy handed made me annoyed and it was pretty much her only character trait.
This was a fine domestic thriller that was actually a thriller! DO NOT read this if gaslighting affects you strongly – I honestly almost had to quit this read because of it. My thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to read this book, which was published on 7 March 2023. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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Reading Progress
March 1, 2023
–
Started Reading
March 4, 2023
–
Finished Reading
March 10, 2023
– Shelved
March 10, 2023
– Shelved as:
netgalley-2023
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inciminci
(new)
Mar 10, 2023 09:17AM
This sounds good, A., I thought even your review was thrillling and I'm interested to know more!
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Excellent and honest review, A! Sounds like this book is not for everyone. I'm glad you found some things to enjoy in this novel.
Shame it got so over the top it stopped being realistic. Though it does seem like quite a good concept. Good review, A Mac.
Oh no! Sorry, you almost quit it! I didn't mind it, but glad it wasn't a complete waste of your time. Great review A!
"This was a fine domestic thriller that was actually a thriller!" - how sad that this needs to be declared nowadays! Glad you liked this one, A, despite a few hiccups. Wonderful review!
inciminci wrote: "This sounds good, A., I thought even your review was thrillling and I'm interested to know more!"Why thank you! Hope that you do enjoy it if you decide to give it a try.
Nika wrote: "Excellent and honest review, A! Sounds like this book is not for everyone. I'm glad you found some things to enjoy in this novel."Thank you, Nika, you're definitely correct about it not being everyone's cup of tea.
Thibault wrote: "Shame it got so over the top it stopped being realistic. Though it does seem like quite a good concept. Good review, A Mac."Great concept but definitely too over the top like you said - thank you, Thibault!
Kay ❦ wrote: "Oh no! Sorry, you almost quit it! I didn't mind it, but glad it wasn't a complete waste of your time. Great review A!"Haha apparently it was a bit too traumatic for me, but I did enjoy it overall! Thank you, Kay!
Rosh [busy month; will catch up soon!] wrote: ""This was a fine domestic thriller that was actually a thriller!" - how sad that this needs to be declared nowadays! Glad you liked this one, A, despite a few hiccups. Wonderful review!"It is a little absurd that I had to write that line, but a pleasant surprise that it ended up being the case. Thank you, Rosh!
Sounds interesting but the whole gaslighting part would probably drive me mad. I'll probably hate the protagonist for not seeing past the lies. I'm gonna skip this one for now. Great review A!
Coco wrote: "Sounds interesting but the whole gaslighting part would probably drive me mad. I'll probably hate the protagonist for not seeing past the lies. I'm gonna skip this one for now. Great review A!"If that's the case then I definitely don't recommend it for you - you'd find the protagonist and her decisions infuriating! Thank you, Coco!
Excellent review, A.!
I’m sorry this was disappointing!! That premise sounds SUPER CREEPY though so it’s unfortunate that the potential with that was a little bit wasted… Awesome review!!❤️
Sujoya wrote: "Excellent review, A.!"Thanks so much, Sujoya!
Imme wrote: "I’m sorry this was disappointing!! That premise sounds SUPER CREEPY though so it’s unfortunate that the potential with that was a little bit wasted… Awesome review!!❤️"Exactly - some of my other friends quite liked it though, so maybe it was just me! Thank you, Imme!
Sounds like the author really went too much into the absurd side and the unbearable gaslighting, not to mention taking so much to wrap up. I think I'll pass. Great review Mac!
Federico wrote: "Sounds like the author really went too much into the absurd side and the unbearable gaslighting, not to mention taking so much to wrap up. I think I'll pass. Great review Mac!"Good choice on your end - thank you, Federico!
Yeah, I’m having a very difficult time finishing this book because the whole story would’ve crumbled apart if the protagonist had just been smart enough to record her conversations, which makes for a flimsy plot imo. Great review!
H. wrote: "Yeah, I’m having a very difficult time finishing this book because the whole story would’ve crumbled apart if the protagonist had just been smart enough to record her conversations, which makes for..."Doesn't it though? It made it hard for me to not roll my eyes every single time something happened. Hope you're able to make it through!
