Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Post-Traumatic by Chantal V. Johnson

24 reviews

kimikreil's review

challenging dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Rape, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Body shaming, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Violence, Addiction, Cursing, Drug abuse, Animal cruelty, Fatphobia, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Vomit, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Alcohol, Drug use, Misogyny, and Panic attacks/disorders

narrnaul's review

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-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

4.25

she is so real.
seriously this is a very reflective and emotional book. i’ve never seen someone so accurately describe how your thoughts can generate a sort of mental sinkhole that is very hard to escape and can sometimes feel endless. like that’s literally how i think too whoa!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Child abuse, Mental illness, Eating disorder, and Sexual violence

creativerunnings's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Eating disorder, Classism, Death, Alcohol, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

sneha_sarcar's review

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Mental illness

tkelley23's review

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Eating disorder, Addiction, Abandonment, Body shaming, and Mental illness

stellahadz's review

dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I loved the writing style of Post-Traumatic. Johnson articulates the main character Vivian's thoughts in a sharp and concise but also accessible and easily picturable way. Vivian has been through some shit, to put it mildly, but instead of focusing heavily on the traumatic events of her past, the book deals with the way they inform the present-day events of her life. There's something refreshing about Johnson choosing to focus on Vivian's development and how she learns to care for herself; it's an antidote to "trauma porn," which can sometimes feel overdone and somewhat voyeuristic. While Vivian's thoughts and behaviors are extreme, the way she relays her feelings and interactions with friends and romantic interests is deeply relatable. I especially loved the scenes where she and her best friend, Jane, discuss their lives and shared experiences. Post-Traumatic is a "slice-of-life" novel, but with a dark-humor twist. It's a fantastic debut novel and I look forward to reading more of Johnson's work.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Child abuse, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Body shaming, Pedophilia, Homophobia, and Animal cruelty

man_duh's review

dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Deeply darkly honest innermost thoughts of a woman who seems to have it all together on the surface but is crumbling apart. 

Beautifully and often time embarrassingly raw in a way that makes you feel less alone in the terrible thoughts that may cross your mind. Vivian isn’t the villain nor is she someone to root for she is just a person. A fully flawed person who at times leans too far into the racial and sexual bias when at others leans too far back in allowing actual grace for herself. A look into how we would all be perceived if our lives were out in the open.

 Personally connected to Vivian’s ptsd and hyper vigilance, use of fantasies to cope and frustration with others who “had it easier.”  Even the constant body image inner monologues created a needed discomfort and put the reader in Vivian’s thoughts. Covers interesting and heavy topics so wonderfully and never makes it feel that the character’s opinions are the only/right choice. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Eating disorder, Dysphoria, Fatphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Drug use, and Mental illness

macncheese_pdf's review

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder and Mental illness

mellienolen's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Often a hard read, sometimes funny but ultimately resonated with me deeply as a cptsd survivor. I look forward to future works from this author. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Eating disorder

cantoras's review

DNF, depth of triggers I didn’t want to push through :( I know there is substance here and I want someone I know to give me a synopsis! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia and Eating disorder

Moderate: Mental illness and Sexual assault