Sharp Objects in Reading & Rambling

Mar 02, 2025 Tiara rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, adult, thriller, mystery, suspense, dark, horror, crime

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Woah...This was extremely disturbing. From start to finish, I felt unwell. Just about everything is so backwards, twisted, and sickening, and it creates an unsettling mood for the entire book. I come from a small Southern town so I'm familiar, at least to some extent, with how things are in such places. To be honest, I think that what helps make this book so unsettling for me. The unnecessary sexualization of the teenagers and their violent nature alone was sickening, but the way that no one add Woah...This was extremely disturbing. From start to finish, I felt unwell. Just about everything is so backwards, twisted, and sickening, and it creates an unsettling mood for the entire book. I come from a small Southern town so I'm familiar, at least to some extent, with how things are in such places. To be honest, I think that what helps make this book so unsettling for me. The unnecessary sexualization of the teenagers and their violent nature alone was sickening, but the way that no one addresses it and its silently deemed as normal is depressing. No one in that town seems to have grown emotionally or mentally from the time they were teenagers. It's like their stuck in an indestructible bubble of never ending gossip, toxicity, pettiness, and complacency. While gossip, pettiness, and phoney smiles were prevalent in the small towns I've lived in, it was never this bad. I can understand why the main character, Camille, was dreading coming back home. Speaking of her, she didn't necessarily make it much easier to get through the book. Something about her was off putting. I can't really pin-point exactly what it was though. Don't get me wrong. I felt bad for her. Her family and town situation was horrible. It's understandable that it took such a toll on her mentally and emotionally. I'm not a cutter. I could just merely relate to her writing words with pen on her body so I could only sympathize. But she wasn't exactly likable. However, no one really was.

I suspected that Adora had Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome about half-way through the book. The continuous mentioning of Marian, the details of Adora nursing Camille so much growing up, Amma being treated for small things, and little things in between made it increasingly obvious. By the time Camille realized, it was pretty much known already to the readers imo. Truthfully, a huge part of me believed that Adora murdered Ann and Natalie. Before the last chapter, I was unwavering in this belief. I want to say this was because I couldn't believe a 13yr was capable of such murders, but even that wouldn't be true. Besides the fact that there are numerous circumstances of teen violence mentioned, there was one particular scene that made me think otherwise. When Camille got high from X and Amma was talking about going swimming, I couldn't help thinking that she was going to try to kill her. I think my desire to not believe she'd do something like that and the details lined up against her mother removed Amma as a suspect in my mind. Unfortunately, her and her friends proved me wrong. I think what adds the depressing sprinkles on top is how it ends. Camille is taken in by Curry and his wife, and it's probably supposed to be a decent conclusion to this story, but it didn't feel like it was to me. I think it's going to have to sit with me for a bit.

Overall, the book was good. The writing could've been better in certain places, but it was nothing too big. I'll be checking out some of this author's other books. However, I'm definitely going to need a more lighthearted book before doing that. ...more

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Mar 12, 2025 Jessica Schmidt rated it liked it

Wasn’t sure how i felt about it for a while (probably because i read it so spread out), but loved the ending and thought it all tied together so interestingly - a good murder mystery type but definitely a bit disturbing at points

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Feb 24, 2025 Ray rated it really liked it

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Apr 28, 2025 Rachel rated it it was amazing

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Feb 26, 2025 Blue Ghost rated it liked it

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