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jozie_bookshelf's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
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
3.0
"I knew I’d keep it there - safe, soft, strong."
Bruised is a coming of age story about teenage Daya Wijesinghe. Daya is struggling with the loss of both of her parents; to block out her emotional pain, she gives herself physical pain in the form of bruising from skateboarding. The moment she discovers roller derby and the brutality of the sport, Daya knows that she has to become part of that team, but becoming part of a team opens her up to much more than physical pain.
I liked this book. Daya's character development throughout the story was great. I'm really happy with how Tanya ended her story. The characters were diverse. It was easy for me to find a character to connect with. I instantly liked the sisters, Kat and Shanti; even more so once their history was explained. I picked this story for the cover, and it has made me want to get out my roller skates.
Bruised is a coming of age story about teenage Daya Wijesinghe. Daya is struggling with the loss of both of her parents; to block out her emotional pain, she gives herself physical pain in the form of bruising from skateboarding. The moment she discovers roller derby and the brutality of the sport, Daya knows that she has to become part of that team, but becoming part of a team opens her up to much more than physical pain.
I liked this book. Daya's character development throughout the story was great. I'm really happy with how Tanya ended her story. The characters were diverse. It was easy for me to find a character to connect with. I instantly liked the sisters, Kat and Shanti; even more so once their history was explained. I picked this story for the cover, and it has made me want to get out my roller skates.
the_kara_kara's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
cobaltbookshelf's review
4.0
CW: self-harm, bullying, parental death
Bruised is self-exemination, emotional and enthralling read. Daya has such well built character arc and all her friends and her uncle and aunt are amazing. Romance between her Shanti was really sweet and roller derby part was fun to read.
Bruised is self-exemination, emotional and enthralling read. Daya has such well built character arc and all her friends and her uncle and aunt are amazing. Romance between her Shanti was really sweet and roller derby part was fun to read.
thepetitepunk's review
4.0
Bruised redefines strength.
Do not be fooled by the gorgeous, pretty pink cover—this is not just a fun book about roller derby. As our main character Daya deals with the death of her parents while also trying to find a place to belong, Bruised tackles heavy themes of grief, self-harm, friendship, and family. This book is great at delving into deep and often unpleasant emotions. I thought the themes of teamwork and sportsmanship was woven nicely into the other themes of family, friendship, and belonging.
Bruised also has a wonderful set of characters (there were almost too many for me to keep track of, but that wasn’t a big issue). There is a wide variety of personalities from people from all sorts of backgrounds. We get anything from emotionally tough and angry characters to overly supportive relatives who just happen to have mini pride flags sitting around when the time was right to celebrate. I really enjoyed the diverse cast of characters, as they were all so intriguing and distinct.
While I typically almost always read YA, I’ve found that I am liking romance plots in YA books that aren’t specifically in romance genre less appealing. As always, I enjoyed seeing a queer relationship (there were actually multiple queer relationships here!) in fiction, but the central romance here felt like it was thrown in towards the second half of the book. I wish it was built up a bit more because it almost felt a bit random to me. It was definitely hinted at in earlier chapters, but I would have liked to see more of Daya working through these emotions before things blew up. I wouldn’t have minded if this book was just about grief and what it means to belong, without some sort of romance.
The other thing I would have changed was how Daya’s self-harm was addressed. To be clear, this issue was addressed. But the book’s first line is an introduction to Daya’s self-harm, and the title of the book is also a reference to this. Self-harm is prevalent throughout the book, so I thought it was going to be a much bigger deal when it was addressed by other characters. I don’t think it was necessarily taken lightly, per say, but it felt like such a big part of the book that I wanted its conclusion to be fleshed out a bit more.
I would recommend Bruised to readers who enjoy YA contemporary fiction that is on the heavier side. If you like authentic, messy, and emotionally-challenged characters who tend to hide their true feelings, this one is for you.
TWs: self-harm, death of parents (car accident in the past), grief
✧ ✧ ✧
≪reading 31 books for 31 days of july≫
╰┈➤ 1. the ones we're meant to find by joan he
╰┈➤ 2. rise to the sun by leah johnson
╰┈➤ 3. some girls do by jennifer dugan
╰┈➤ 4. a heart in a body in the world by deb caletti
╰┈➤ 5. you've reached sam by dustin thao
╰┈➤ 6. radio silence by alice oseman
╰┈➤ 7. swimming in the dark by tomasz jedrowski
╰┈➤ 8. bruised by tanya boteju
Do not be fooled by the gorgeous, pretty pink cover—this is not just a fun book about roller derby. As our main character Daya deals with the death of her parents while also trying to find a place to belong, Bruised tackles heavy themes of grief, self-harm, friendship, and family. This book is great at delving into deep and often unpleasant emotions. I thought the themes of teamwork and sportsmanship was woven nicely into the other themes of family, friendship, and belonging.
Bruised also has a wonderful set of characters (there were almost too many for me to keep track of, but that wasn’t a big issue). There is a wide variety of personalities from people from all sorts of backgrounds. We get anything from emotionally tough and angry characters to overly supportive relatives who just happen to have mini pride flags sitting around when the time was right to celebrate. I really enjoyed the diverse cast of characters, as they were all so intriguing and distinct.
While I typically almost always read YA, I’ve found that I am liking romance plots in YA books that aren’t specifically in romance genre less appealing. As always, I enjoyed seeing a queer relationship (there were actually multiple queer relationships here!) in fiction, but the central romance here felt like it was thrown in towards the second half of the book. I wish it was built up a bit more because it almost felt a bit random to me. It was definitely hinted at in earlier chapters, but I would have liked to see more of Daya working through these emotions before things blew up. I wouldn’t have minded if this book was just about grief and what it means to belong, without some sort of romance.
The other thing I would have changed was how Daya’s self-harm was addressed. To be clear, this issue was addressed. But the book’s first line is an introduction to Daya’s self-harm, and the title of the book is also a reference to this. Self-harm is prevalent throughout the book, so I thought it was going to be a much bigger deal when it was addressed by other characters. I don’t think it was necessarily taken lightly, per say, but it felt like such a big part of the book that I wanted its conclusion to be fleshed out a bit more.
I would recommend Bruised to readers who enjoy YA contemporary fiction that is on the heavier side. If you like authentic, messy, and emotionally-challenged characters who tend to hide their true feelings, this one is for you.
TWs: self-harm, death of parents (car accident in the past), grief
✧ ✧ ✧
≪reading 31 books for 31 days of july≫
╰┈➤ 1. the ones we're meant to find by joan he
╰┈➤ 2. rise to the sun by leah johnson
╰┈➤ 3. some girls do by jennifer dugan
╰┈➤ 4. a heart in a body in the world by deb caletti
╰┈➤ 5. you've reached sam by dustin thao
╰┈➤ 6. radio silence by alice oseman
╰┈➤ 7. swimming in the dark by tomasz jedrowski
╰┈➤ 8. bruised by tanya boteju
quindoza's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
4.25
maguire_m03's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
rainbowbookworm's review against another edition
2.0
Not enough roller derby... and the roller derby that is portrayed is nothing like what I have experienced in my roller derby league.
I want my review to stop there, but the truth is that I was underwhelmed by many things in this book including the fact that Day's therapist did not address her self-harm.
I want my review to stop there, but the truth is that I was underwhelmed by many things in this book including the fact that Day's therapist did not address her self-harm.
jenny_d's review against another edition
emotional
fast-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, and Self harm
Moderate: Transphobia
alanaschulte's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Death of parent