Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

The Drowning Woman by Robyn Harding

12 reviews

astoriareader's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

SYNOPSIS

• Lee is currently unhoused & living out of her car. She’s waiting tables at a shady diner in Seattle, and she’s living in her car.
• Lee decides to start sleeping in car in a secluded park with a beach area in an upper class neighborhood. One morning, she wakes up when she hears a woman drowning, and she saves the woman. The drowning woman, Hazel, and Lee become friends.
• Hazel confides in Lee that she’s in an abusive marriage, and basically, she came out there to end her life that morning. As their new friendship begins, Hazel asks Lee if she will consider helping Hazel disappear & start her new life.

MY THOUGHTS

• Harding is a talented writer. 
• Short chapters.
• Structured in different parts. We begin with Lee’s POV, then shift to Hazel’s POV.
• I thought the first half was a much stronger than the second half, and I really loved Lee’s part. It started off very strong.
• Some plot holes and inconsistencies that don’t make sense. Also, the story generally requires suspension of disbelief.
• This one had a lot of potential, and I was let down in some ways. It was an awesome beginning, a blah middle, and an okay ending.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫3.5 stars. Really awesome beginning. Execution wasn’t really up to par for middle & ending. Still enjoyed the read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, Dementia, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Vomit, Body shaming, Blood, Sexual content, and Alcoholism

Minor: Car accident

emmyshh's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Gaslighting, Infidelity, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Body shaming, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse

daniofthewood's review against another edition

dark 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Blood, Bullying, Eating disorder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Panic attacks/disorders, Confinement, Murder, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Dementia, Gore, Fatphobia, Grief, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Forced institutionalization

Minor: Slavery

destinysbookhaven's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Body shaming, Torture, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Abortion

killmoore_'s review against another edition

dark emotional tense 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

4.75

I couldn't have loved this more. Heart dropping suspense, holler-out-loud plot twists and a touch of pure insanity. This is one of my favorite books of the year so far. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Death, Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Death of parent, Grief, Stalking, Blood, Murder, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic friendship, Car accident, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Body shaming, Violence, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexism, and Suicidal thoughts

bee_isreading's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Blood, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Dementia, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Death of parent

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Infidelity, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Suicidal thoughts

michelle_my_belle's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense 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

3.75

 This was a solid thriller. It was fast-paced, suspenseful, and full of twists and secrets. I did feel like the last chunk of the book took an odd turn and resolved kind of abruptly. I also didn't really connect with any of the characters. Overall, an entertaining read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Torture, Blood, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Physical abuse, Sexism, Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Violence, Grief, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Eating disorder, Classism, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Gore, Infidelity, Stalking, and Alcohol

Moderate: Suicide attempt

Minor: Dementia, Addiction, and Forced institutionalization

meeklovestoread's review against another edition

dark funny 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? No

4.0

This book was not what I was expecting, but you know what? I'm not mad about it. Whatever you think this book is about unlearn it. Think of the plot of "The Last Mrs. Parrish" by Liv Constantine, but wilder. It was just twist after twist after twist. The things that happen in this book are a little jarring (nothing out of left or anything, but still pretty shocking). I guessed some twists. I didn't guess others. There's a specific character that I was suspicious of from the beginning and I'm glad even in fiction I can spot toxicity.😂 Overall I feel like it was a really good page-turner and I really enjoy the friendship between Hazel and Lee. It was a good book, but the writing wasn't all that spectacular. There were actually a couple of grammar mistakes that I caught and I do feel like the ending was rushed, but I still enjoyed it overall.

Glad my girls are back together! In spite of everything, I still love them and their friendship!

Like I said definitely not a bad book if you're looking for something quick and entertaining!

Note: I'd just like to mention that I admire how the author takes her time to humanize homeless people and anything else who is in a situation in which they feel trapped rather that be literally or figuratively. I also admire how she took the topic of BDSM delicately and didn't dehumanize it and prioritize that acts like those are only harmful when they're nonconsensual.  

Spice Rating: 🌶️/5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Violence, Death, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Sexual violence, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Alcohol, and Death of parent

Minor: Car accident, Sexual content, Body shaming, Confinement, and Torture

avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

   When an unhoused woman saves a rich housewife's life, their lives become intertwined in a murder plot. How will they get out alive? 
   I'm torn on rating this book, I enjoyed that it delved into deeper topics, but I also found it a bit predictable at times. I'd say I predicted at least half the twists.
    I enjoyed the happy ending, but I felt it wrapped up too quickly for how drawn out other elements were.
 
 Narrator Rating: 4.5 stars
    Both narrators were amazing! 

Extra ratings: Fluff - 0/5   Heartfelt- 4.5/5   Helpful -NA    Horror -NA    Inspiration -NA    Love aka Romance- 1/5    Mystery -3/5   Predictability -3.75/5    Spice-1/5    Suspense - 3.5/5    Tear- 4/5   Thrill - 4/5    Humor-0/5 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Violence, Cursing, Grief, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Body shaming, Mental illness, Dementia, Classism, Death of parent, and Stalking

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic

drnaynay's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Bullying, Classism, Murder, Violence, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Dementia, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship