Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams

77 reviews

venusinlove's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark hopeful reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

my hopes for this book were set up so high! like, the title was insanely good the cover itself is amazing! i loved it all! sadly i couldn't say the same thing while reading it and of course just like with any other book i have icks with i'll list them below. :)

okay, one thing i do not(!!!) understand is how shane came into her life after what seems a pretty horrible past and there is this one scene where they go for ice cream and start talking and he suddenly goes "oh btw you never told me about your mum" AND SHE STARTS SHARING HER LIFE STORY? out of fucking nowhere? that is so unreal and fake and it made me so angry without a practical reason. but see, they have been friends or together or idk for so long and i know they've had a rough past but he's showing up after years of not talking and she starts telling him all the personal detail just like that? ain't no way it works like that in real life. (do not come for me with the "it's just fiction" bc i will throw hands)


that whole character of audre felt so off-putting and it was an overexaggerated form of a teen. i am aware of the fact that it's difficult to write about a teenager without you being one yourself but i did not need all the "peace sign with the tongue out selfie" being made or the whole excessive social media usage. which brings me to my next point why i did not vibe with the book overall and that's because of all the pop/modern references such as stranger things, snapchat (really?!), lizzo and literally anything that exists now. it put me off and i know this is more of a me-problem rather than the author's work one but i really disliked it and it made me want to quit the book every time i met such mentions. 

I'm so upset that the execution is so bad...
especially the part where we get to know why Eva is not a virgin and the fact that she was rap*d. I'm partly angry at how rushed it was because you can't just drop a bomb such as this one and leave it.


the story between eva and shane felt so flat, it didn't make me feel anything and as it was progressing(?) i realized that i didn't care what their childhood story is.
(spoiler, it's literally not that deep, except all the drug use and alcohol)


one thing i did like was the ending when shane met eva and she didn't make a fuss but just listened to his explanation. i very much appreciated that, it was v grown-up. the whole epilogue (aside from the structure and the spongebob-esque "a few moments later" part) was actually great! i loved knowing about eva's past generations. :)

tl:dr, this would have made a great movie, a sweet little rom-com if you will, maybe then i would like it better.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

darkhorse488's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad 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

4.75

This was a literary romance with serious heft to it and I devoured it in two days. It felt like all of the things I love about well done literary fiction mashed up with an underlying romance novel. I loved that it didn’t fit neatly into either genre, but if you’re used to reading more traditional, lighthearted romance books check the content warnings on this one before diving in because there are a LOT of them. Ultimately, I loved how real these characters felt because of the difficult life circumstances they experienced and I thought the writing was gorgeous. I highly recommend this to folks who don’t typically read romance as an entry point into the genre if you’re curious!

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

eggfartz's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

readingwithjass's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

meganbolds's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

2.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

eule's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

4.5

I feel like this book did not give me as much as I expected. The ending was unnecessarily stretched and even though I adored the characters (especially the mother-daughter-relationship and the dynamic between Audre and Shane), the plot somehow seemed incomplete…? 

Yet, this novel is breathtaking, funny and reflective while dealing with the power of love, coping with your past demons and tackling todays racism. Beautifully written and gorgeous characters with hell of a trauma. I especially enjoyed the fragility of Evas and Shanes relationship: a honest reflection of reality. 

All in all: read this book y’all. It’s pretty good. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

feistyannotatingbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

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? It's complicated

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kyrstin_p1989's review

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad 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

4.5

A little spicy, a little sweet, this book is a brilliant love story. It focuses on two broken people and their journey to loving themselves and one another completely. I loved the characters, I loved the way the author including many present-day pop culture references and allusions, I loved the ending. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

rebeccaouellet's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful 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

4.25


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

haley49's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional inspiring 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

4.5

This book was a masterpiece of fiction…aside from a rushed final act this book had everything I wanted: the emotions, the complicated family dynamics, the questions of self, and the angst in love found between two complicated leads. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings