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dearbhlanoonan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Violence
emilymbrown's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Blood, Abortion, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, and Lesbophobia
maddielinehan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Minor: Body horror, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy
em2lyy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Rape and Toxic relationship
soni's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Animal death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Death and Vomit
Minor: Lesbophobia
jenmaysiereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Fatphobia, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
brookesinfinitebooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I would absolutely recommend this book because it’s an incredible examination of modern femininity and sexuality. However, I highly suggest you check out content warnings first. There were several stories that affected me more than I expected, and many trigger points. I had to take this one very slow, in small doses. Which works perfectly for a short story collection - I read one story every few days.
These stories are definitely going to stick with me for a while. A few I particularly enjoyed: Mothers; Real Women Have Bodies; The Inventory.
Graphic: Mental illness and Sexual content
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, and Mental illness
miamcmillan's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
- it feels so overwhelmingly 21st century to me and i feel that’s not what the author was going for so in a way i feel guilty for not interpreting it like the artist but then stupid for that because art is supposed to be interpreted by the onlooker but then it makes me wonder whether actually she intended for us to have a collective reaction after all and she’s just a genius at creating it im not sure
- the resident has affected me so deeply i think the line that’s sticking with me is when one of them calls the speaker ethereal because to me she felt almost cumbersome but not in a bad way. it was eerie and beautiful and i cannot get it out of my head
- i keep thinking about how some of the stories were so obvious and some were absolutely incomprehensible (to me)
- especially heinous felt like a mixture of both to me. like it confused me as a concept but it was also weirdly addictive and beautifully done and i keep coming back to it. the almost positive ending felt disjointed in the context of the collection but it was even more strikingly hopeful because of that. i also like associated it so strongly with b99 in this like hazy summer soup of just gotham city energy that it almost removed any law and order intention or themes around it and it was so interesting to see how it affected me in a way i’m not sure it was supposed to (but then again maybe it was). maybe because the city was breathing and bleeding and heart beating so much i felt connected to it (in a way it reminded me absolutely unintentionally of the weird evocative mess of new york and the contrast with the version i read of it in detransition baby)
- real women have bodies had a line about fingers being tied into grommets which was intensely unnerving
essentially i don’t think i liked the experience of reading it at all but i also liked it for making me uncomfortable. i think some stories personally will stick with me more than others and some i will probably forget. i think overall it is very much worth reading just to see what resonates and what doesn’t. a very interesting and subversive debut <3
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Murder
shlelbylyn's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
raynaaskiverr's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence