The first part of this short story is... expected. It is exactly what I would expect from Gillian Flynn. An unnamed female narrator manipulates people every day in her job - from giving hand jobs to wealthy men to reading people's "auras". I didn't stop giving hand jobs because I wasn't good at it. I stopped giving hand jobs because I was the best at it. She's smart, ambitious and perceptive. She has a laid back attitude towards sex, even as a form of manipulation. And she isn't afraid to scr...

holiday hand jobs are sad for everyone.2/3 of this story is fantastic. the ending is not.you know how at the end of clue, you get a reasonable explanation for the murders and then this flashes on the screen:followed by a less-satisfying solutionand then thisfollowed by the big, silly ensemble ending? that's kind of what this feels like, but with all the fun sucked out. clue can get away with twisting and turning and running all over the place making no sense and just having a good time because i...

It takes some serious skill to write a story that is so layered and has such well-developed characters in only 65 pages. But leave it to Gillian Flynn to do it. I loved this modern take on the classic haunted house story. It's messed up and so well executed. She's really great at creating voices that are identifiable and confidently written. Once again I'm out of Flynn material to read. Can't wait for whatever she comes up with next.

read it for the first time in the Rogues anthology and loved it. bought it as it's own copy and loved it even more the second time around.

First Reading: August 2016, Rating: 4 StarsSecond Reading: January 2019, Rating: 5 StarsGillian Flynn does it again!The Grownup was written in a completely different vein from what I had expected, given the genre of her other books. One thing that did remain the same, though, was that she managed to shock and misdirect her readers page after page!This follows the story of an unnamed sex-worker-turned-phony-physic and her bid to help a family plagued by a haunted house and a crazed step-son.The s...

I loved the book! What better compliment can I say? TWISTING YOUR MIND Gillian Flynn! You did it again!I loved to read this short story!I loved how Gillian Flynn, the author, played with my brain. At the end of the reading, my mind was so screwed up (but in the good way!), that I was thankful that she didn’t gave up a clear explanation about what just happened in those couple of hours while I was engaging into the book.Sometimes you need explanations, and I have no doubt that some people n

2.5Let me just start by saying- I am a huge Gillian Flynn fan. I loved Dark Places more than words can say- and I adored Gone Girl. So I am not one of the "what is all the hype about?" people....but where THE GROWN UP is concerned....I don't get it. This is just not good. Not good at all.It started out good.I am not a person easily shocked or put off by unlikable characters doing smutty things. So when the story started out with a women who gave perfect hand jobs- I said "YAY!!! Way to go you pe...

1 "this short story is the biggest scam and piece of crap" stars !! 2016 Book I was most afraid to Hate (Runner Up) This book f'in infuriated me!Some of you know I was not a big fan of Gone Girl (2.5 star read). Not badly written but ridiculous.Yesterday we were in Indigo bookstore and they were selling this little piece of doo-doo for $12.99.Can you f'in believe it? This is the biggest sociopathic money-grab I've seen in publishing.I read this in 25 minutes and I borrowed it from the library.Wa...

(Throwback Review) When a fake cut-price psychic visits a scary “haunted” Victorian house called Caterhook Manor of Susan Burke to help her escape from terror and grief, she had no clue that she would have to face enormous obstacles and that her concept of ghosts and exorcism might change forever. The events following that will take us for an exciting ride. Gillian Flynn is one of my favorite authors. I had no clue that she wrote a fourth book until last Wednesday. So as soon I saw this book, I

Holy crap on a cracker! That was so damn bizarre and good, I went and bought the kindle edition after reading the library book!! I can’t even people!!Happy Reading! Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

A 64 pages like..having A Hand Job....for the mind by A Real Hand Job & "Aura read" expert, A Desperate Housewife, An Ancient Creepy Victorian House, A Wicked 15 years old boy -but looks 12- AND Gillian Flynn herself.Gone Girl جيليان فلين مؤلفة ستتلاعب بعقلك بشكل جهنمي هنا،مع فتاة خبيرة في منح الرجال العادة السرية وأيضا قراءات هالات البشر الروحية , ربة منزل بائسة, منزل فيكتوري مقبض مرعب , وطفل غريب الأطوار في الخامسة عشر من عمره -شكله فقط 12 عاما- لمدة 64 صفحة بصراحة لا أنكر انني صدمت بالسطر الأ...

I really didn't think I was going to bother with this one. The very first description I saw was:"Gillian Flynn’s Edgar Award-winning homage to the classic ghost story, published for the first time as a standalone."After reading that description I wasn't all that interested. However, after reading a few reviews that piqued my interest I thought ah it's only 60ish pages long. What's the harm? I think if I hadn't known it was a short story when I bought it, I may have been a little ticked off....ma...

For my first Flynn, it really wasn't bad for the most part. (The ending made my eyes roll, but more on that later.) It seems that the writer is a keen study of the human condition, her snark is cold yet captivating and really cuts to the truth. (view spoiler)[ I hate an ending that leaves things up in the air. To leave it up for the readers to decide isn't edgy, it isn't new, it's obnoxious. This fucking Schrödinger's Box mumblecore bullshit where the audience and the MC don't know the truth rui...

Despite the short length, The Grownup is another fantastic example of Gillian Flynn's talent in creating a tense,creepy tale through her terrific writing.The short story follows a fake psychic who agrees to help Susan as she's encountering problems with her 15 year old son, Miles and believes it could have something to do with their new house.This is another chilling tale by Gillian Flynn and never turns out how you expect it to.I really enjoyed how the story unraveled, although I felt it could

**Re-read it 10/5/20**Re-read it 9/2019**Re-read it 10/2018 - I feel like this needs to be turned into a Netflix movie, it would be perfect. **Re-read it 9/24/17 and loved it just as much as the first time I read it. It's spooky, insane, and it's an awesome quick read for the fall. **Re-read it 10/15________________________________Of course this was a crazy mind-fuck like her other books and I loved every moment of it. I'll talk more about it in my November wrap up. :D

I'm not usually one who loves paranormal or ghost stories, but I do love Gillian Flynn's work so I wasn't about to shy away because it's a genre I don't usually gravitate toward. Hence why I picked up The Grownup and was suddenly immersed in a world that is, well....let's just say "kooky."The Grownup is a short story that I read in about an hour. Set in a small town, the main character is an "aura reader" who is roped into conducting a sort of makeshift spiritual cleansing of a client's house. F...