Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

60 reviews

bookedbymadeline'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

 Now that HCP Union finally got their fair contract I can share one of my backlist HarperCollins reviews 🎉 Today I’m sharing my review for My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell (which I read in December)!

Great discussions on victimhood and what it’s like to not be the “perfect victim.” Really makes you reflect on victim blaming, consent, culpability, and the aftermath that survivors face. 

The book is very well written which made me want to keep reading but with how dark the content is I had to take breaks.

The chapters were too long at times for my taste because then I couldn’t just pick it up whenever I had a free moment. I really liked the alternate timelines, as we see Vanessa in the present and her reflections of the past. 

Good ending that was satisfying, but didn’t tie everything up neatly leaving it a bit open ended. There was also great character development that felt more realistic than most books! Vanessa’s progress and growth was full of ups and downs with one step forward two steps back, showing how non-linear healing can be. Overall a fantastic book that I’d recommend but also want to remind others to be cautious with the content!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual content

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Vomit, Bullying, and Mental illness

Minor: Body shaming, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Suicide

lakea'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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Vomit

Moderate: Drug use and Addiction

Minor: Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Death of parent

28blou's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Misogyny, Cursing, and Body shaming

Minor: Animal death, Rape, Death of parent, and Animal cruelty

jessltrueman's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Child abuse, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, and Pedophilia

josiegjackson's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Deep and heavy book, all characters including even the therapist are imperfect which made this an frustrating reading. Vanessa understood rape and sexual assault but doesn’t believe it applies to her relationship with Strane because she loved him. Very real view of what possibility grooming can do to one’s mindset. 
Need a right mindset to read this and even with no extreme experience of harassment this made me squirm - excellent writing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, and Pedophilia

Minor: Infertility, Physical abuse, Body shaming, Grief, and Sexual content

ephemeral_remi's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Grief, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Suicide, Alcohol, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Body shaming, and Death

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

drodwell's review against another edition

I couldn't do it. I couldn't get past the explicitly described rape scene. I'm sure it's a great book, but I can't bring myself to read any further. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, and Sexual harassment

soyboi's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Rape, Suicide, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Grief, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Moderate: Grief, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Infidelity, Stalking, Body shaming, Bullying, Drug use, Death, and Death of parent

angrboda's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

wow. this book has been on my “READ THIS BOOK NOW!!!” list for over a year.. finally decided to pick it up and oh my god. i finished in the span of only two days. it was impossible to put down. it was horrifying, thought provoking, and completely messed up. the honest pain i felt when reading it; i had to take breaks everytime it got too much. i definitely see myself in the main character, vanessa, gone through a similar experience she did. i think this story did an amazing job at portraying how accurate abuse is, how it’s so easy to manipulate and control young girls who eventually spend their entire lives not understanding that what happened was bad.  this book is will stick with me for a long time.

as much as i loved the writing and the plot development, i wished for the downfall of stane SO badly. i despised him. i was manifesting some sort of revenge plot in the last portion, where vanessa finally exposed all he did, where stane finally admits defeat and is thrown in jail for life. the constant dismissal and disrespect vanessa had over the situations made me mad, i honestly disliked so many of her choices, but it’s so real. she’s so real. her mind is corrupted, she’s gone. she’s split off permanently and it’s so real. so real.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Stalking, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Drug use, Grief, and Sexism

Minor: Fatphobia, Animal death, Cursing, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Body shaming, Stalking, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence