Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell

13 reviews

nyantastic's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

A wild, intense, ride where nothing is quite what is seems so you can't know what is true. One of the fastest I've ever finished a book because I was so thoroughly invested in the story. It left me with a complicated mix of emotions about the Fair family! I highly recommend listening to the audiobook version.  It is perfect for the podcast/TV show theme the book has and it is narrated with a full cast which makes it really feel like you're listening to a real podcast.

⚠️ Definitely read the content warnings for this book if you have any triggers, there's a lot.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Incest, Sexual assault, Torture, Blood, Excrement, Grief, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Ableism, Fatphobia, and Pregnancy

te_ss_i's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

bibliostorian's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

This was a twisting, turning story with unreliable narrators all the way through. Just when you think you're truly getting to the truth of it, another thing pops up to make you doubt something. And the title of the book itself has you going in from the get-go in sleuth mode trying to figure out what's real and what isn't. That this is set against the backdrop of true crime podcasts and Netflix documentaries, both of which are genres known for their biased reporting and clever editing, only makes it more interesting. What's real? What isn't? Is Josie nuts, or is Alix? Is everyone nuts? What's up with their husbands? 

Anyway, I finished it and I still have no idea what's the real, honest-to-god truth, and I'm both cranky and not that Lisa Jewell clearly meant it to do that to me. Hah. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body shaming, Misogyny, and Blood

asolis's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

4.0

Excellent audiobook. I am picky with what books I enjoy in audio format, and this one certainly enhanced the experience. Full cast and production.
The story itself is gripping and dark. Great for fans of mystery and thriller. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic

wickedgrumpy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

1.0

When it comes to ambiguous open endings, I usually don't mind because I can imagine what I want to follow as an epilogue.  That requires having a good foundation though and this book lacked that in spades.  When the title is the book, you question everything.

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

emmy_readz's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

2.0

What did I just listen to? Way too many uncomfortable handlings of sensitive topics like child grooming, sexual assault, mental disability, mental health, the list goes on and on. It's like Jewell was trying to be edgy by including certain aspects but instead came across with him victim blaming energy. Alix's kids were an afterthought, honestly not even sure why they were included other than to make the two MC kids go to the same school and connect them. I think we were supposed to be unsure of who to believe with the dual POV and making Josie have a semi sympathetic voice but it came across as pathetic and selfish. Whether you believe Josie or not her motivations don't make sense regardless. The multimedia aspect of the podcast made it interesting and the pace was great. The audiobook is definitely worth a listen as it has a full cast and gives you the full multimedia experience. With the hype this book and Jewell as an author has, I'm pretty disappointed.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Medical content, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

flamming_bluejeans's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Stalking, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Addiction, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Eating disorder, Excrement, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic

themichellegray'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

5.0

It's very rare for a psychological thriller to receive a 5-star rating from me but here we are.

While the content within this story was disturbing it was delivered in such a unique format. Both the pacing and reveals were masterfully written which held my interest until the very last page. Even after finishing the story, the author left me contemplating the narratives within this book and in real-world true crime "content".

There are so many layers to this novel and I'm impressed with Jewell's ability to simultaneously write a shocking story while providing commentary on the sensationalization of real-life cases.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Incest, Medical content, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Drug use, and Pandemic/Epidemic

courtney_scott1025's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.25

I loved this book except for

it felt like Josie was blamed for having a relationship with Walter even though she was 14-16 and he was in his 40s

if not for that, I would have given this book a 4.25 easily. I listened to the audiobook and it was immersive and so well done. The story kept me entertained and on the edge of my seat. I read a good majority suspense/thriller/horror novels, and this was definitely one of the books that I could not predict where it was going, and I loved that. Check your content warnings!!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Pedophilia, and Murder

Minor: Incest and Grief

ohyeahshebomb's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

the only time that gaslighting is okay (me, I have been gaslit)

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic