Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Broken Bonds by J. Bree

12 reviews

e_rosemary's review

fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Bullying, Blood, Sexual assault, and Cursing

Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, and Murder

Minor: Car accident, Self harm, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Suicide

min_grachi's review

dark fast-paced

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

wtf
Are we supposed to like these guys? What the fuck was that SA scene!? Are people high when reading this type of shit? Because at this point I don't know what to believe. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Rape, Violence, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

iben_flor's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Classism, Body shaming, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Violence, Car accident, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Bullying, and Stalking

melissa_rueff's review

emotional funny fast-paced

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

4.0

This book is a good example of poly rep but filled with horrid misogyny. Every part of this book is just the main character shitting on women for being feminine or pretty or interested in men. The main character just is just screaming internalized misogyny all over the book. Honest to God I almost didn’t finish the book because it was so misogynistic. I finished it because I like the poly concept, but I really really think that the author  
 is a “not like other girls” girl and that’s really disappointing to me.  Like the concept that you can write about a poly relationship yet you can’t think that other women who are  feminine are not shitty for being so. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Medical trauma, Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Stalking, Rape, Kidnapping, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Body shaming, Car accident, Classism, Fatphobia, and Gaslighting

The relationship depicted is severely abusive. I believe the author did that intentionally to create plot points, but the fact that the main character doesn’t recognize and then states the treatment as domestic abuse at the level it is really makes me question what this author thinks is okay. because everything that is happening here is domestic abuse and not even light abuse like horrid treatment is astounding to me. If you’ve experienced any form of like gaslighting, or like control, this might not be the novel for you, I say all of that is a warning because I don’t feel like I was warned getting into this book. I did enjoy this novel it has a lot of fun plot points is an interesting concept. There are redeeming characters, but the fact of the matter is, there’s not enough of a warning how severe the domestic abuse is, and it’s never really touched on even later on in the other novels and nobody really apologizes for the severe severe abuse outside of like “I’m sorry that happened but it had to happen because of the plot points that wr as the character expierenced so it’s excuse” which is a shit excuse and also abuse in itself. Understand me I like this novel but I am warring you it’s a bad time.

booksalacarte's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful tense fast-paced

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

2.75

2.75⭐️ 2.5🌶️ (1 SA scene not included)

This was out of my comfort zone. Reverse Harem just isn’t for me. From this I’ve found that I am just not a fan of more than 1 love interest in a book.

It’s an entertaining read, bachelor-esk and surprisingly has quite a bit of plot outside of the main relationships. I appreciate the RH clarification in the synopsis from the author. There is also a LOT of cursing in this book.

Forced proximity

One bed

Instalove

Slow burn

Strong friendships

Life on the run

College life

Oil being 19, in college, and forced into living under house arrest isn’t my ideal set up. But the prologue was attention catching, for sure.

It reads as a little bit of a bully romance… but for the world building, kinda-almost-maybe justified? But I hate the name calling (effing B*tch) between main love interests. It feels super disrespectful and foul. Especially from someone, or many, who are supposed to be endgame love interests. I hate it. I don’t even like typing out the words. There was also a SA scene with a love interest. Be aware.

The romance was slow burn, which is good, considering the vitriol that is flying left and right. There is a lot to make up for and any actual romance would have been gross without warming up.

The world building was really minimal, which it being a contemporary romantic fantasy isn’t as important as a high fantasy. But I found a lot to be desired in that area. The magic system is interesting, but very vague. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Car accident, Gaslighting, Murder, Cursing, Alcoholism, Bullying, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit

mjdedevis24's review

dark emotional mysterious fast-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Violence, and Car accident

ka_ke's review

dark 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

4.5

Well consider me intrigued. I downloaded the other five books before I even finished Broken Bonds. I guarantee Nox gets a redemption arc, North can get bent but Gabe, Griffin and Atlas are warming up to me. I love Sage, and I want to protect her with all my heart, please don’t kill her! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Mental illness, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Violence, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Abandonment, Medical content, Sexual assault, and Xenophobia

milla_b's review

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

I enjoyed this book and will continue with the series. The characters are interesting and the plot intriguing. J.Bree gives you just enough to keep reading and wanting more. 

Powers, mysterious kidnappings, Bonds, RH, secrets and more. This has all the trappings for a great saga. 

The only small thing, was the grammar and and some of the filling scenes out. On a personal level I felt there was more internal dialogue that actual verbal interaction. Though this doesn’t take away from you starting to fall for these characters. 

There is a lot, like a lot a lot going on. So the internal dialogue serves its purpose. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gaslighting, Bullying, Kidnapping, Death, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse

amre23's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious 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: Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Death, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, and Confinement

Moderate: Alcohol, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Sexual harassment, Trafficking, War, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, and Blood

Minor: Car accident, Sexism, Vomit, Abortion, Gun violence, Medical content, and Torture

Abortion is mentioned in conversation not attempted. Coercion within a sexual assault/content scene.

justagrlandherdog's review

emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

I went through this book so fast! I enjoyed it a lot. I have some critiques but they are in no way going to keep me from reading the next book. For one the book started without any exposition. I had zero understanding of the bonds, like I understood the concept but I didn’t understand what role that played in the world. This were just explained in too little detail too late in the game. And the guys. There is no singular guy that is on the top of my pyramid, but there sure as hell one at the bottom. There are guys that I like but each had some issue that made me dislike them, beyond their initial dislike of Oli (I understood why they were mad at her). I don’t know how Bree is ever going to make Nox a forgivable character (hopefully she doesn’t) bc the stuff he did is unacceptable and gross.  Also this is the first RH book I’ve read (I’ve played plenty of Otomes and seen plenty of Anime) and maybe I just don’t understand the dynamics in this book setting so I have a lot of questions going forward. At least in the books universe it isn’t taboo so we’re not dealing with that. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Cursing, Rape, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Bullying

Minor: Death of parent