Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

With Teeth by Kristen Arnett

18 reviews

librarysoflyss's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Kidnapping and Stalking

jourdanicus's review against another edition

challenging reflective tense fast-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

When I finished this book, my first thought was, "what?" But that's never a bad thing. I love to read unlikeable characters and boy howdy did Arnett serve some up big time. Recommend for anyone who enjoys being stressed out by fictional people and/or yells things along the lines of "what are you DOING?" when characters make bad choices in movies, etc.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Kidnapping, Miscarriage, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Sexual content and Infidelity

sarahlovesbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark funny 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

I think these characters are going to stay with me for a long time. They were unlikable and complicated in such interesting ways. Plus, I really liked the way the author tied in asides with outside characters. At times the pace was slow to me, but I really liked the ending. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism

Moderate: Sexual content and Gaslighting

leah_alexandra's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense fast-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

I'm surprised I liked this as much as I did. This was a really well-crafted story. It was dark, and tense, and the tension never feels resolved, but it's clear that effect is purposeful. 

On further reflection, I do think the book suffers a bit from under-development of the secondary characters, especially Samson.

Based on the set-up and first part of the book, I expected it to go in a darker, kind of horror-esque direction, with Samson's odd behavior. But more and more I think his behavior was just being a kid who felt misunderstood, considering he evens out as a teen, and the second part of the book goes in a more typical direction of describing a woman's destructive tendencies.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Kidnapping, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Violence

spaghettireads's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-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

4.25

This books was wild! It definitely won’t be for everyone, but it worked for me. I just kept turning pages because I needed to know what happened. I heard it described like reading a thriller, and I totally agree with that description.

With Teeth is from the perspective of Sammie, who is dealing with her complicated relationship mostly with her son, but also her wife. From her perspective, everything seems super challenging and chaotic. Throughout the book we also see small snippets from the perspectives of some of the other characters in the story, giving their interpretation of what happened, and how they perceive Sammie.

I’m not sure that I’ve read a book that so effectively uses the unreliable narrator in this way. Through the end of the book you are constantly wondering what is really happening. When I finished, I was really unsure what to think, but on further reflection I think that I did really enjoy it.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Blood, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Vomit

laurenparham's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Murder, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Stalking, and Toxic relationship

alylentz's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.5

I think Kristen Arnett is a very talented writer, but her books frustrate me because they focus on characters in self-destructive situations and it feels like we make no progress with them until all at once, in the last 50 pages or less, things suddenly change. The ending of this book is strong and interesting, and I think overall this book grabbed me more than her last (there were points where I couldn't put it down, despite my conflicted feelings). I also feel like I'm in the minority in that I really loved the little slices of outsider POV. I know I'll continue to think about these characters, but reading her books are a bracing and intense experience, and I'm not sure they're right for me.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Alcoholism, Religious bigotry, and Sexual content

Moderate: Infidelity

caseythereader's review

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

- This book was by no means an easy read - like Arnett's previous work, it was even downright difficult and uncomfortable at times. However, I truly appreciate that we've arrived at a place where not every queer character must be a perfect person, and we can explore messy and unlikable characters.
- I was there for the examination of queer adult/married life, and how the characters struggled with trying to match heterosexual norms while also losing their connections to other queer people.
- Every character in this book is just horrid and makes such terrible decisions, and yet you can't help but feel for them. It's quite a trick, and Arnett is the master of it. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence