Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Bread the Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agostini

50 reviews

stuffinmybrainhole's review

challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Miscarriage, Infertility, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Racism, Racial slurs, Gun violence, Incest, Violence, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Murder, Grief, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Alcohol

margarethobbs's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Physical abuse, Incest, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Child abuse

rhi_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Incest, Murder, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Violence, Infidelity, Rape, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Gaslighting, Abortion, Death of parent, and Gun violence

raidanuha's review

challenging emotional reflective sad 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Pedophilia, Violence, Child abuse, and Rape

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, and Abortion

isabookabel's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

Found it really hard to review this book. It was very difficult to get through at the beginning particularly. Truly harrowing and deeply sad. But still think the story was well written and it was a really difficult topic to explore which Allen-Agostini did really powerfully. Her narration of the audiobook was brilliant and  added nuance, intonation and flow which I could have missed otherwise.

In some ways I feel like it should be rated higher, but at the same time it left me emotionally drained at times and I wouldn't recommend it to friends unless they read similar content or show a particular interest.

Edit: have moved this up to a 4 star, as the story and narrator really stuck with me, and might even reread at some point, so many emotions with this book hard to know how I feel about it, but feel like 4 stars is fairer and solid.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Domestic abuse, Violence, Gun violence, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Incest, Infertility, Racism, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

ernie_8's review

dark emotional inspiring sad tense fast-paced

• 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

4.0

This book portrays how hard it's for a person to acknowledge that the one they love is not worthy of their love. The protagonist has gone through a rough life and seemingly has no one reliable in her life, what makes me attached to this story is that she even needs to contemplate a lot on what is her rightful surname at the end of the book and is in an existential crisis. Something that seems superficially normal and simple is not always what it's meant to be. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Infertility, and Grief

Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Miscarriage, Stalking, Sexual violence, and Gun violence

waybeyondblue's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Incest

Moderate: Sexual content, Infidelity, Gun violence, Death, Rape, and Violence

Minor: Vomit, Toxic relationship, and Blood

loesm's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Death of parent, Child abuse, Incest, Sexual assault, Sexism, Racism, and Murder

Minor: Alcoholism

yawningtiger's review

dark sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Infertility, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Incest, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Sexual violence

essay23's review

challenging dark emotional fast-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Rape, Incest, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, and Child abuse