Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

43 reviews

kng_writes's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

5.0

This is my favorite book in the Osemanverse, for a lot of reasons. Primarily, it’s a coming of age novel that has romantic elements, but doesn’t hinge on very predictable romantic tropes. In the end, it’s an exploration of mental health, trauma, abuse, and real life vs internet life. It is beautifully done. I grew to love every character. One thing I especially love about Alice Oseman is the way she has just as many kind and understanding parental figures in her books as terrible, neglectful ones. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Mental illness, and Emotional abuse

lolajh's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-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

5.0

ALICE FUCKING OSEMAN. Holy shit. Each book I read of Alice’s is somehow better than the last. This book had everything: brown and other poc main characters, bisexual, lesbian, gay, aspec and pansexual characters, and all of these characters not being in there just for the rep but having vital roles in the story. Reading this book as a teenager did allow me to reflect a lot on myself, as this books portrays beautifully how teenagers interact and behave and stress about adulthood, but it also says that university isn’t the only option for having a successful and enjoyable life, which is such an incredibly important theme needed in contemporary books like these aimed towards young adults. This book’s portrayal of mental illnesses as well was perfect and relatable, whilst heartbreaking. How Alice is able to portray all these themes so perfectly I will never know. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Mental illness, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Murder, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief

Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Sexual content

nyreads's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• 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

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Alcohol

Minor: Homophobia

em_davies7019's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Animal death, Abandonment, Mental illness, Alcohol, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Physical abuse

Minor: Cursing

laurajin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

longlost's review against another edition

emotional hopeful tense medium-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

5.0

He hung up. I felt my stomach drop at his final words.
"Hello, I hope somebody is listening," I said, under my breath.
Words I'd spent the last two years listening to over and over, words I'd sketched again and again inside speech bubbles and on my bedroom wall. Words I'd heard in a male voice and a female voice, changing every few weeks, always in that classic World-War-II old-time radio accent.
The opening line of every Universe City episode.
"Hello. I hope somebody is listening."

Happy to say that this makes three out of three stories from Alice Oseman that I've read and enjoyed wholeheartedly. The way they handle the relationships between their characters feels so authentic, and it's definitely one of my favourite things about her books so far. The tenuous build of Frances and Aled's friendship,

the midway point where accusations are made and misunderstandings are had that so often feel contrived in other books, yet here feel perfectly real and understandable for these characters.

I read this book over the course of a few days, and every time I put it down to do something else my mind always wandered back to these characters and what happened next and how everything would work out, if it did.

Both Alice Oseman books I've read previously - Loveless and Heartstopper - felt like a very personal read to me. As an aroace person Loveless was very important in helping me round the corner to understanding my identity, and while Heartstopper didn't hit quite as many personal beats, ultimately it was a story that brought me a lot of comfort and that I'll continue to read as future updates to the comic come out. Radio Silence was no different in that it almost felt like it was written for me - Frances and her determination to get into Cambridge, and the way her dream that had been driving her for the entire book turned out to not be quite exactly what she wanted. Aled's attempts to reach out to February Friday through Universe City - the worldbuilding of Universe City in general was one I particularly enjoyed, and a story that I wish we could explore more in-depth. The depth we were slowly given in characters like Daniel or Raine, and how their relationships interconnected with both Frances and Aled. The story behind Carys and her mysterious disappearance.

Alice's attention to character really shines here - the development of Frances and Aled's relationship feels incredibly authentic and heartwarming,

while the subsequent breakdown of it after Aled's secret is revealed never feels cheap or unjustified - you understand why Aled is so hurt, and as you continue to follow the story it begins to make even more sense.

Aled's story throughout the book was hard to read.

The scene where Frances tries to comfort him after he learns his mother has had his childhood dog put down while he was away at university was heartbreaking,

and the glimpses we get into his fraught relationship with his mother felt painfully familiar. I related to him more and more with every turn of the page,

and the fact that the book ends with Aled out of his abusive situation and pursuing the things he loves, happy and surrounded by people who love him, couldn't have possibly meant more to me.

It was also painfully easy to relate to Frances -

her determination to study English literature at Cambridge, even though it didn't make her happy, because university and a good-paying job are what's ingrained into us throughout the school system. As someone who struggled with school and grades myself, her storyline meant a lot to me.

Alice Oseman weaves the mystery of Carys and Aled's family life superbly - they reveal the right information at the right moments, keeping you in the dark about facts until it is absolutely necessary for them to be revealed, and when they are it makes previous sequences of the book even more impactful. Her skill at character-building and writing relationships, including the problems that come with them, really shine in this book. Radio Silence is a book I'll definitely be coming back to in the future to revisit these characters and their stories again. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Stalking, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Mental illness, and Physical abuse

Minor: Blood and Injury/Injury detail

GRAPHIC: Child abuse / domestic abuse / emotional abuse: The book slowly reveals that

Aled faces severe emotional abuse from his mother. Carys, before her disappearance, also faced emotional and physical abuse.

Stalking: Both Frances and Aled are subjected to online stalking during

the reveal of the creator of Universe City.

Toxic relationship: Aled is shown

to feel trapped in his abusive relationship with his mother.

MODERATE: Abandonment:

Carys, fed up with the abuse she faces from their mother, runs away prior to the book's events, which eventually leads to Aled becoming the main victim of the abuse.

Alcohol: Alcohol is present at several nightclubs / parties during the book.

Frances, Aled and Daniel also get drunk together in one scene that goes on for a few chapters.

Animal cruelty / animal death:

While Aled is away at university, his mother has Brian, their childhood dog, put down.

Cursing: There is cursing throughout the book. Fire / fire injury:

Carys talks about an incident with her mother in which she burned some of Carys's clothes, and Carys burnt her hands trying to retrieve them from the fire.

Gaslighting: Aled's mother. Mental illness: Towards the end of the book

Aled is clearly not doing well.

There is never a name given to the feelings, but it may be uncomfortable to read. Physical abuse:

Carys is at the very least implied to have experienced physical abuse from their mother. In one scene Aled's mother forcefully cuts his hair and inadvertently cuts his palm.

MINOR: Blood:

Aled's palm is noted to be bleeding after the scene in which his mother forcefully cuts his hair.

Injury / injury detail:

We are given some detail on both the injury to Aled's hand after his hair is cut, and to Carys's burned fingers.

ronoexiste's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Physical abuse and Panic attacks/disorders

lesbegays's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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

books for nonbinary gay asexual former gifted kids who like surrealist fiction podcasts, spent far too much time online in high school (and, let’s be honest, the several years since), have a habit of ghosting all their friends for months instead of expressing emotions, and dropped out of university their freshman year after having a suicidal breakdown (me) 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness

Moderate: Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

evieolive's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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? No

5.0

Please just read this book. It is the most necessary story. A new all time favourite :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Moderate: Animal death, Stalking, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Physical abuse, Abandonment, and Blood

bookreviewsgr's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

5.0

Ένα μυθιστόρημα που βάζει στο επίκεντρο τη φιλία και μας υπενθυμίζει ότι η πεπατημένη οδός δεν είναι πάντα αυτή που μας ταιριάζει και τα σχέδια και οι επιθυμίες μας μπορούν πάντα να αλλάξουν. 

Διαβάστε περισσότερα στο  <a href="https://bookreviewsgr.home.blog/2021/04/03/radio-silence/">blog μου</a>.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Mental illness

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Animal death