Reviews tagging 'Eating disorder'

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

20 reviews

nina_mk's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Rape, Animal death, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Grief, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Drug use, Body shaming, Addiction, Gaslighting, Terminal illness, Alcoholism, and Chronic illness

Minor: Classism, Fatphobia, Stalking, Eating disorder, Bullying, and Lesbophobia

clo_l's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This was a really great book. It filled me with so many emotions from the very first page. It felt so incredibly real & I guess, in a way, it was.
Dark, beautiful, captivating, nauseating, intense. 
Amazing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Drug abuse, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Rape, Drug use, Death of parent, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Cursing, Toxic relationship, and Pedophilia

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Eating disorder, Excrement, and Animal death

fkshg8465's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad slow-paced

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

5.0

This book is full of triggers, so be warned. It’s a story of identity, grappling, and reckoning after a teen girl is groomed and sexually abused by a teacher. This is the world we live in, one where sexualizing young girls is normal and often overlooked (or rather, not looked at hard enough). For this reason, to help protect those girls, I hope every parent, educator, and teen girl reads this book. It was emotionally difficult and very very cringey, but it was important to have read it. I feel even more protective of my own girls as a result.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Grief, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Rape, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Sexual harassment

anonymous_traveller's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Child abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Self harm, Physical abuse, Sexism, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Sexual violence, Stalking, Ableism, Abandonment, Rape, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

sapphotoni's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Eating disorder, and Adult/minor relationship

zorhose's review against another edition

dark informative reflective sad tense

5.0

I couldn't put this down until I finished it and I was constantly disturbed throughout. 

The writing is so good and realistic that I had to catch myself throughout wondering if this was based on the actual real life experience of the author, despite the disclaimer at the beginning of the book claiming it wasn't. 
I'm glad the audiobook I listened to included an interview with the author which provided more context and I know that society loves to treat female authors like the only way they could come up with complex stories is if they are autobiographical and I don't want to discredit Russell in that way.

She weaves so many different elements together with ease and creates a story about abuse without seeming preachy, but without sympathizing with the abuser. Vanessa is one of the best written characters I've read about in a while. She feels like someone I could run into on the street.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Drug use and Eating disorder

Minor: Suicide and Death of parent

chelsea_court's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Sexual content, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, and Gaslighting

Minor: Drug use, Eating disorder, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

sunflowersarepretty's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, and Sexual content

Minor: Car accident, Medical content, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Animal death, Eating disorder, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Body shaming, and Death of parent

kenziebeck's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Body shaming, Drug use, Addiction, Alcohol, Mental illness, Violence, and Suicide

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, and Fire/Fire injury

spoookycat's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, and Mental illness

Moderate: Eating disorder, Vomit, and Suicide