Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews

59 reviews

marisamoo's review

emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-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

5.0

Just so unbelievable. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Racism

Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Pedophilia

Minor: Death of parent

lindsaywolfson's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

A story of what "could be different" if we stopped hiding from ourselves.

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Sexual violence and Child abuse

academic_mama's review

2.0

Loved the Milwaukee setting—I lived there during the book’s timeline and have been to the Y-Not 😂

Totally turned off by the explicit language/sex stuff. Also fat-shame. Just not for me. Protagonist is a bit too twee.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual violence, and Fatphobia

kathleencoughlin's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Deportation, Outing, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault

Minor: Lesbophobia, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Misogyny, Police brutality, Domestic abuse, Racism, Sexual content, and Body shaming

kathleen_theresa's review

emotional 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

3.25

From my perspective characters can and should be flawed and complex but the main character seemed abusive and the author seemed to be trying very hard to get the reader to still “like” and/or root for her. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Deportation, Sexual assault, Racism, and Child abuse

There were instances of what felt to me like penis envy that seems unnecessary.

staceyface's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Racism, and Rape

meemawreads's review against another edition

• 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

3.0

This book didn't stick with me as a whole. In the month since I read it, I've forgotten the end. I still remember the MC's transphobia that mysteriously resolves with no explanation? I remember how obsessed she is with thin, white women, too. Internalized white supremacy was strong.

Hilariously, I also remember starting to root for her to kiss Tom because I am rooting for him...

a lesbian book emphasizing my straightness how embarrassing. Anyway, I wouldn't recommend this if you hate dysfunctional relationships and remembering the chaos of your early post-college days. I would recommend this to someone who likes flawed protagonists and appreciates the complications of immigrant family stories. Three taters 🥔🥔🥔/🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Racism, and Child abuse

Minor: Transphobia and Fatphobia

calicos's review

dark inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Racism, and Child abuse

Moderate: Fatphobia and Transphobia

cjamison0151's review

emotional inspiring reflective 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Sexual assault

Moderate: Drug abuse

Minor: Police brutality

epen's review

emotional inspiring sad tense 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

3.5

Prose style a bit choppy for me—it took me some time to get used to. A bit overwritten in that vein sometimes, but not too often; I think the author’s descriptive language and use of literary devices were mostly solid. Complex queer characters and good portrayals of friendship. Dialogue a little off sometimes. Totally gratuitous transphobia toward non-binary people by the protagonist that sort of improved by the end of the novel but not sufficiently for how explicit it initially was. 
 

Loved the portion of the book during which S was with her family in India, and particularly the portions about the plants that grew. Also encouraging for a story to have a coming out arc that didn’t end in disownment.

 
sometimes felt a little 2018 for a book written in 2022. 
Overall enjoyed and would recommend. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Transphobia, and Deportation

Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Drug abuse, and Racism