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Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'
All our hidden gifts - La Gouvernante by Caroline O'Donoghue
5 reviews
sleepy_stardust's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
But oh my god, does Maeve Chambers ruin it.
At first, a romance subplot began with one of the side characters, Roe. It's eased into, and I found myself enjoying their relationship. Then, out of nowhere, they share a passionate kiss. No build-up, nothing, nada. From then on, I found it difficult to empathize with the main character's love problems; it's difficult to be surprised that a relationship isn't going well when the couple doesn't know one another.
Maeve's also pretty unlikeable in general. In the beginning, she seemed realistically imperfect. Were her flaws difficult to tolerate? Yes. Could I understand where she was coming from? Also, yes. However, as the novel progresses, her perspective becomes increasingly infuriating. She invalidates her partner's insecurities about their unstable relationship (which started after his sister went missing, mind you, and partly because of Maeve). She's overly capricious and causes mini-conflicts in the novel that are entirely superfluous and unworthy of the reader's attention.
Besides Maeve's characterization problems, the novel's ending is incredibly cliché. It reads like the end of a pilot episode of a crime-fighting show, where the main characters have finally realized that they're meant to take on the mysteries of the world together. It's horrendously underwhelming; O'Donoghue would have been better off starting the second book and adding exposition throughout to explain the characters' backstories.
Roe and Fiona were enough to save this book from being a total drag for me, though.
2.5☆ / 5☆
Graphic: Homophobia, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Emotional abuse
vespera's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Bullying, Transphobia, Homophobia, Toxic friendship, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Biphobia, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Self harm
g4bby's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Biphobia, Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Transphobia, Gaslighting, Lesbophobia, Hate crime, and Acephobia/Arophobia
kelseydaffodil's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Violence, Suicide attempt, Racism, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, and Blood
Minor: Cursing, Death, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Outing, and Sexual content
beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Medical content, Medical trauma, and Suicide
Minor: Domestic abuse, Racism, and Racial slurs