Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

When Life Gives You Vampires by Gloria Duke

39 reviews

jensreadsromancebooks's review

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emotional funny 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

3.0

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mnemosyne139's review against another edition

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

3.5

I'm torn on how to rate this book. I had a fun time reading it, and the main character was relatable. But I also didn't like the writing style. It felt like it was trying too hard to be "hip", using words like "natch" instead of "naturally" (which took me a few times to figure out) or "obvi" instead of "obviously", and these were used a LOT. Also, this book is set in New York, but then the main character says things like "drop trou" like she's British, so that was a little confusing.

Having said all that, I enjoyed the book overall and would recommend it to those who like smut-lite romance (more words than actions, if that makes sense) and don't mind a touch of the paranormal.
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seyfert's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted 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

2.0

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littlecozyreaderr's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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airin_reads's review

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

2.25

I thought this would be a light, fun read. I love vampires and will read anything with fat FMC representation. There was lots of potential with this premise, but it just came up short. The MMC was criminally underdeveloped, the conflict between them ended up with no payoff, and overall the story felt a bit clunky. A few good lines and some nods to vampire lore, along with a spicy blood drinking scene weren't enough to save this great premise from bad writing. 
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kloughlin's review

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

4.0

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mojoreads94's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.25

The concept of this story has so much potential. It could have been a super fun read with great commentary of fatphobia and struggling with body image. Unfortunately, it was so poorly written I would go as far as to say it is harmful to the fat community. If I had to hear her say “obvi” one more time I was going to rip my hair out. The main character’s self hatred was annoying and harmful to those around her and her stubbornness was maddening. The love interest was very boring as well. 
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craigelizabeth2023's review against another edition

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

4.0

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risquish's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

2.75

Definitely reads like a first novel; I really enjoyed the first half, but a lot of the relationship and communication issues didn’t get solved by the supposed resolution of the book. Also, despite “learning to love her body” reading this book was a test of my patience as our protagonist hates herself for 75% of the book. And the supposed resolution with her fatphobic mother was… a) unrealistic b) disappointing and c) practically a footnote for something that felt like such a large part in her personal journey. Also, Tristan (our ML) needed far more depth in understanding of Lily in both her motivations and her body related traumas; it doesn’t feel like he really learns much by the end of the book.

WHY IS EVAN’S BFF MARRIED TO A CONSERVATIVE???? WHY IS LILY’S DAD A BIG CONSERVATIVE MEDIA OUTLET CEO???? These things are not met with nearly enough skepticism nor are they interrogated with any moral questioning….especially considering that our cast is all white and the only real diversity we see is our fat mc who hates her body most of the book.


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boiler_bookworm's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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