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5 stars

August 8 #AboutABook Based on a true story @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

It feels wrong to say one likes these kind of reads...this was unbelievably dark and disturbing. If you're a sensitive reader...be careful with this one. This is a true crime novel and it both broke my heart and disgusted me.

Unbelievably disgusting true store. Not for the weak-stomached.

No one can help a troubled person who doesn‘t think they need it.

This book was gruesome but a story that needed to be told.. I‘m inspired and heartbroken for the 3 sisters who had to suffer through so much 😔 #catsoflitsy

This story is awful. It's about an abusive mother torturing her kids and her husband and her friends. Couldn't finish it.
#truecrime #nonfiction

Chilling. An absolute page turner if your stomach and heart can handle it. This is the true story of a sadistic wife and mother, an rural serial killer and the sisters who survived her. True Crime at its most unbelievable, and Olsen tells the story well with not a little irony.

Very good good. I am a lover of true crime, so this was a good read.

4.5⭐️/5⭐️

A hard read, for sure, and more than a little terrifying. Be prepared for some really disturbing things in this book, I had to put it down more than once to get some space. But ultimately fascinating.

I honestly don't know how I feel about this book. For those with triggers related to violence/abuse, this is definitely not for you. Looking past that, the story wasn't the worst. It was sad to hear what these poor people went through, but from a psychological standpoint, it was interesting. I'd say read this one at your own risk.

#ArtfulAugust @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs
#TrueCrime

June 25, 2022 I am just going to say a few words: Shelly Knotek deserved to be in jail for more than two decades. With all the finger pointing and blaming that she did, she DEFINITELY deserves to be alone from her daughters Nikki, Sami, and Tori. What they had to go through should not have happened.

June 23, 2022 I am on page 205 Chapter 41 and 'things' have happened. 'Things' have gotten intense! OMG I mean i just want to express how I feel about the book so far. It is true that Shelly, the mother to Nikki, Sami, and Tori is very psycho. Crazy. Brutal. A murderer. Too many words to describe her. You'll have to read it yourself to find out (no spoilers)

June 19, 2022 I am a good ways into the book. There are so many characters to keep track of BUT the one that stands out the most obviously is Shelly Knotek. She is such a violent person. She does not treat her girls, Nikki and Sami, and her husband, Dave Knotek, with any respect. She believes thag she is the queen of the household and it is okay to degrade a human being. The way she beats and yells at her daughters is unimaginable 😒😞😔😣😖

June 16, 2022 My next book. Review coming soon

This is the first non-fiction I have read in a while. I have read one of Gregg Olsen fiction stories before and really enjoyed his writing style. This was definitely fascinating and disturbing at the same time. It is the story of 3 sisters and the abuse from their mother. It is not for the weak and parts are frustrating but definitely a must read if you are a fan of true crime.

I finished this yesterday and holy shit. I had heard of this case on a podcast, possibly Least of These, but I was not prepared. What a horrific case. What a horrific woman.

jesus christ. this book is fascinating but SO disturbing. it‘s disgusting to see the continued incompetence of dave and the police. it‘s all just shocking. i can‘t believe shelly is getting out of jail this year. i kept forgetting that it was real because it‘s just so terrible

For more than a decade, when sisters Nikki, Sami, and Tori Knotek hear the word mom, it claws like an eagle's talons, triggering memories that have been their secret since childhood. Until now. For years, behind the closed doors of their farmhouse in Raymond, Washington, their sadistic mother, Shelly, subjected her girls to unimaginable abuse, degradation, torture, and psychic terrors.

This book retells the shocking story of Shelly Knotek, a real life murderer. Olsen tells the story in such a way, it feels like you are there experiencing the horrors with her three daughters. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, wondering when/if she was ever going to pay for her atrocious actions. It‘s a great breaking story, that puts it into perspective, that you don‘t actually know what goes on in anyone‘s home.

How to rate this book? It was entertaining, but the subject matter was so dark.The worst part is it‘s a true story.This monster really existed!She‘s in jail, but eligible for parole in 2022.The atrocities that her daughters endured were unreal.Trigger warning-if you have a weak stomach or can‘t handle extreme graphics,don‘t read this book. I am neither of the above,but found it disturbing.On the other hand, it was well written and kept me reading.

Joined a new book club in Chicago to meet new people again. It‘s a murderino kind of book club, so I think I‘ve found my people 🤣 This book is turning out to be terrible, not terrible writing, but terrible content that will keep me awake at night…

Victims of abuse can still love the monster. This ambivalent loyalty might just be the predator's ultimate form of damage

I read a lot of true crime books but this has to be one of the most brutal to date. The author went so in depth with this. The torture, gaslighting and all out abuse this woman inflicted on her children and the "boarders" she took in as friends but would slowly kill is unreal. Chilling, emotional and compelling read. The fact that Michelle Knoteck is due to be released in 2022 utterly disturbs me.

10.5hrs

#scarathlon2021 #teamslaughter

I don't have the time I used to to get really involved in #Readathons this year but my stupidly competitive ass just can't leave well enough alone 🤣 I'm only participating in Litsy events this year so to maximize points I've decided on multiple #Bingo boards instead! Considering I've only had time for 2 books in September I'm going to be interested to see how I manage my TBR of 60 🤣🤣

For years, behind closed doors, their sadistic mother, Shelly, subjected her girls to unimaginable abuse, degradation, torture, and psychic terrors. Through it all, Nikki, Sami, and Tori developed a defiant bond that made them far less vulnerable than Shelly imagined. Even as others were drawn into their mother‘s dark and perverse web, the sisters found the strength and courage to escape an escalating nightmare that culminated in multiple murders.

I feel disgusting just reading of this abuse. How am I supposed to go to sleep after reading this book?

This book is going to take me forever to finish. I have to take breaks because of the gruesome abuse. Truth is always scarier than fiction.

This book was gripping and horrible. I couldn‘t stop listening and felt sick the whole time. The writing however, wasn‘t great. It was overwrought in places, instead of compassionate. There were also quite a few repetitive phrases like “so and so said, years later.” I‘d recommend for the survival story, but not the writing. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #netgalley

Did I finagle my way into another free trial of Scribd so I could listen to this? Yes. 😂

This book is way messed up 😱

This is such a weird story. I understand that someone might be able to abuse and manipulate their own children if they start early, but to do it to two separate non-family members AND without any romantic ties? There are just so many people in this book who should have put a stop to the madness earlier. I feel like some part of the story is missing for it to make any kind of sense.

🌟 🌟 🌟 Full Review: https://suspensebookreviews.home.blog/2021/02/07/if-you-tell-by-gregg-olsen/

I wasn't impressed with this true-crime novel. It felt like a fact sheet with a lack of plot & storyline. The events were horrific accounts of abuse & torture but overall felt poorly put together. I really wanted a more outside the home perspective from teachers, neighbors, & family. It was primarily just accounts of distressing abuse.

I must have subconsciously decided that 2021 was going to be the year of tough reads. This book has been nothing short of heartbreaking, tough, and emotional. I believe the simple knowledge of knowing this is based on a true story makes it all that more difficult to process. Aside from it being a gut-wrenching tale, it is well written and page-turning. Definitely keeping my attention.

This book has been on my shelf for awhile now. I've been wanting to read it for some time, just kept getting swept up in others on my TBR. Long overdue read that I'm ready to finally get to. What's everyone's thoughts on this one? 💭

This book was heartbreaking. True story of girls that endure abuse at the hands of mother.

#audiobook
#kindleunlimited
#workingwhilelistening

I don't even know where to begin with this one. Real life is way more horrific than fiction, especially in this case. I'll probably have nightmares tonight.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#kindleunlimited
#amazonprime
#recommendsday

My husband listened to this on AudioBook and told me to buy it to read so we can discuss it!.... NEVER thought I would see the day he suggested such a thing. Hahaha.
So, here I am... reading the book so we can discuss it!!!🤓🥳🥰

This one was a great read.. Although my own upbringing wasn't as severe as this family it resembles it very very slightly & was kinda hard to read in some places & made me think about my own non existent relationship with my own toxic mother quite a lot..

This book was so disturbing. I can‘t believe it‘s a true story. I was horrified but I couldn‘t put this book down. It‘s like a car wreck. It definitely gave me awful dreams and disturbed my sleep. I‘m glad this story is out there and the sisters are okay after everything they went through. The writing itself was very simplistic and the writing a bit choppy.

#TeamSlaughter +16pts #Scarathlon
#Screamathon2020
#BookSpinBingo - Spot 5

Thanks for the tag @Chrissyreadit

1. Horrific. Awful. Shocking. Psychotic
2. Chapstick & Books
3. The Victorian Era in England, 1890s

Not sure who hasn‘t played but tagging @Stacypatrice @inthegreensandblues @marleed
#wondrouswednesday

This was a difficult book to read, and yet I couldn't stop reading it today. I just had to know that justice was dealt for the poor victims of Shelly's abuse.

What these three sisters went through felt surreal, and my heart still breaks for them, and for Kathy, Ron, and Shane.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
This book gives me my first bingo! 😀