Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Moja mroczna Vanesso by Kate Elizabeth Russell

31 reviews

tlycomfort's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Rape, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Drug use, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Alcoholism

Minor: Bullying, Death of parent, Infidelity, Grief, and Vomit

autumnwhite's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Vomit, Bullying, Cursing, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, and Toxic relationship

tmickey's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Rape, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Drug abuse, Addiction, and Drug use

Minor: Infidelity and Suicidal thoughts

samarakroeger'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Everyone who has struggled to understand why victims of abuse/SA can be reluctant to come forward should read this book, provided that they are in an appropriate headspace to do so.

This is a hard read.  I could not stomach more than a chapter or so at a time for the first half of the book because of how triggering and DARK the subject matter is. That being said, the prose is immensely readable; Kate Elizabeth Russell did an outstanding job, especially considering this is a debut.  I thought it struck a perfect balance between being "beautifully written" (a description I often think is just a euphemism for "flowery") and viscerally raw.  The narrative voice is so strong and so believable (yet also unreliable), and writing teen narrators that sound like actual, naive teenagers with real, (rational to them) thoughts is a feat that is nigh impossible to pull off.  

I'm not typically one for quotes, but this one from the end of the book really called out to me and sums up one of the main points of the book.

"The excuses we make for them [abusers] are outrageous, but they're nothing compared with the ones we make for ourselves." (360)

I'll be thinking about this book for a long time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Drug use, Stalking, Death of parent, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Alcoholism, and Death

Minor: Child abuse, Bullying, Infidelity, and Animal death

If you want to know what grooming can look like and how teenage girls can fall into that trap through excessive gaslighting, manipulation, and abuse, this is the perfect book for you! A harrowing portrait of why victims of abuse/trauma can sometimes really struggle to admit that they were victims and the ongoing trauma (PTSD, general struggles with mental health and addiction, memory loss) these events have on their lives.

shellbeesbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

3.75

very dark, definitely could be triggering, very frustrating but it’s supposed to be so she does that really well 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Infidelity, Grief, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, Death, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Adult/minor relationship

sparkyreads's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

I am utterly speechless. I knew next to nothing about the plot of the book before reading it, and I instantly fell into a black abyss, almost like a trance, until I finished this book. I find Russel's writing incredibly engaging and comfortable, but beautiful. I related to Vanessa in many ways, and I believe that Russel showed a deeper side of sexual assault, manipulation and rape. Like the book points out, victims of abuse are not just that - victims. Vanessa's thought process as she grows from a young girl unaware of what is happening to her, to a woman who is able to accept her past and move on is relatable. This book serves its' purpose as it shows the process that one has to go through to accept their trauma. It sometimes take years to even recognize it, especially in a case of manipulation and gaslighting. All of the character felt real, tactile. I felt like I was there, I was Vanessa's ghost, lurking, and observing everything that's happening, but never speaking up. I was there, in the classroom, in the car, in her apartment. I was Vanessa and I was Strayne. This story resonated with me, as I am sure it did with many girls and women, who probably experienced at least a sliver of Vanessa's tragic experiences. 
My few issues with this book are:

• Britney Spears refferences. I do not get why she refferenced her in so many occassions, it seemed so out of place. 
• The narratives between 2007. and 2017. felt intertwined. At times it was difficult to distinguish between these two narratives, as they both contradicted the 2001. narrative. The lines between these two years were somewhat blurred, and they were hard to follow at times.
• The metaphores were cliche, and were boring to read. They were also repetetive. In some scenes they served their purpose (for example in Strayne's bedroom), but at other times they felt useless.
• Some scenes were just way too graphic. I know that she wanted to make us disgusted with Strayne, but she did that so well with just his phrases and choice of words. She did that so well, that the graphic scenes were completely unnecesary and disturbing. Especially when she was younger. Too detailed and deffinitelly too traumatizing.
• Also what's up withh all the J names???

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

foreverfoxes's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

Damn this was a tough book to read. I actually had to take a break and start a middle grade so I wouldn't go into a complete slump. I don't even know how to rate this. Well done I guess? I don't know man, my mind and soul is shot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, and Grief

Minor: Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Infidelity

tahsintries's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Pedophilia

Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Death of parent and Homophobia

jameslyons's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I devoured this in three days and felt like I was reading my own diary. I've never read anything that describes the nuances of abuse survival so well, particularly located in the early 2000s. I found it affirming, confronting, triggering, and a really fucking good read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Sexism

Moderate: Suicide, Miscarriage, Infertility, and Pedophilia

Minor: Blood, Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Gore, and Animal death

Child sexual abuse is the main subject. Gaslighting, grooming, institutional violence, and coping mechanisms.

thesaltiestlibrarian's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective slow-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

3.5

 Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC. The opinions expressed herein are mine alone and may not reflect the views of the author, publisher, or distributor.

Oh, man. This was rough. The writing was quality, but the content hits you like a brick.

Vanessa Wye recounts her time at a private boarding school in Western Maine, where an English teacher grooms her and proceeds to take advantage of her. Years later, the #MeToo movement bursts onto the scene, and Vanessa has to decide how she's going to deal with other students making accusations about the man who professed to--and continues to profess to--loving her. What's more, she starts to wrestle with her own mind. Were his advances love, or was she manipulated all along?

(Spoiler alert: she was totally manipulated.)

What we have here is an interesting parallel to Lolita in the age of open discussion regarding sexual assault and pedophilia. So while the book became a bit repetitive in some spots, I can see the necessity for it in a time like this.

It can even be argued that the repetitive nature of those bits reflects the hellish merry-go-round of mental gymnastics that victims of abuse struggle through their entire lives. Definitely read this when you're in a safe mental space. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Infidelity