Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

Normale mensen by Sally Rooney

47 reviews

bookishbrenbren's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

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

4.0

This review is going to sound silly but here goes

I don't think I've read such a captivating book in a long while. I was completely immersed in the inner workings of this tiny little polarized world. It was engrossing, I couldn't put it down and when I did, I kept thinking about it. I feel invested in these characters and I think the author did an incredible job of bringing them to life and capturing what life is like when you're a teen/new adult. Especially the internal life we live inside our own heads. 

on the other hand I fully agree with almost all criticisms of it that I've read 😂 the book is pretentious bordering on delivering a campy teenage movie (he's 17, a soccer star but he's top of his class but he's incredibly shy but he also recommends The Communist Manifesto to peers) and the not-like-other-girls girl even gets a makeover but not before she's read Swann's Way by herself at lunch. 👀 ok. Then also the treatment of disordered eating, classism, abuse and masochism and some light racism-makes-the-bad-guy-bad could also have been better handled. and honestly like on a very literal level, I feel silly caring who Connell Waldron asks to high school prom. But isn't it a sign of a strong writer that she can make me care about something like that? Ugh idk I am so torn. The characters are slightly cliche but nobody can write internal thought like this. I just don't know, send help 🏳️ I can't deny the pull that this book had on me and the fact that it made me feel things. I am a Marianne loyalist and I feel like I genuinely know her. She came to life for me. 
But idk I guess I also expected something more serious (but less self-serious?) than this 🫣 for all the hype and marketing it got 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Grief, Mental illness, Violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Racism, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

a_rash_read's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Alcohol, Grief, Domestic abuse, and Mental illness

Minor: Alcohol, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Abortion, Racism, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Eating disorder, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Classism, Death, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Pregnancy

redefiningrachel's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Classism, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Abandonment, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Bullying, Sexual harassment, Mental illness, Death, Violence, Vomit, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, and Misogyny

Minor: Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Pregnancy

tilly_jaques's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Eating disorder, Body shaming, Gaslighting, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Suicide, Pregnancy, Racism, and Classism

Minor: Death, Alcohol, and Death of parent

tamaraepps's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Alcohol, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Classism, Sexual violence, Violence, and Physical abuse

Minor: Sexism, Death, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Emotional abuse

jordan_noel's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad 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

4.0

I didn’t necessarily love this book. I didn’t really love the characters, and I don’t know if I really expected anything to happen. But I don’t think the book is trying to say there’s destiny. In fact, I think it’s the opposite. Sometimes people end up together and help each other and try to be loved by each other. They aren’t going to be perfect. And they aren’t necessarily meant to be. Sometimes it can work out for a bit and sometimes it doesn’t, but hopefully life helps you have a person to stick with anyway.

I don’t think Connell and Marianne are good people and they’re not always good friends. Luckily, they still care about each other and help each other right before saving might not be possible anymore. Maybe we can’t ask for more than that in normal people. That’s just who we are, and that’s the best we’re going to get.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Classism, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Pregnancy, Blood, Abandonment, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness

honipoems's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

For me, this book felt like a dark academia rainy cloudy novel. I could smell the books, the old wood and the smoke. 

The back and forth between being together and not being can be tiring. I wish Marianne and Connell to just be like « normal people » and accept their feelings sooner, but this story wouldn’t exist this way. They are both mentally ill, maybe even making each other ill. I don’t who between the who has more power on the other ? They’re definitely influencing each others. I wish Marianne would have a happier life with her family, maybe without her brother she wouldn’t be that unconfident & masochist. 

also didn’t except sex scene since the beginning but I understand why. It’s not a love story but the growth of their fucked up relationship. Also, I feel like sex is an important part of their relationship ? 

I didn’t expect the ending to be like this. It’s not a happy ending, it’s just the same as their relationship has always been. They’re together but life take them away of each others and they might be together again later.



I can’t find topics to add to help others users find similar books 😭

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Death of parent, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Abortion

lunar_witch's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Torture, Addiction, Alcohol, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Grief, Abortion, Alcoholism, Bullying, Classism, Death, Emotional abuse, Blood, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Vomit, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

redandread_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Domestic abuse, Violence, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness

Minor: Classism, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Death of parent

weirdf1shy's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

This book will stay with me. As soon as I started it I was wrapped into the story. The synopsis sounded to me like the average story of two young people and their drama but it is so much more than that. This story is beautiful and Sally Rooney told it in such a descriptive and raw way. I look forward to reading more from her.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Suicide, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Grief, Pedophilia, Bullying, Cursing, and Mental illness

Minor: Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Body shaming, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Infidelity