Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

127 reviews

midgereads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

4.0

It took me an eternity but I finally finished this book and I really liked it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Sexism, and Misogyny

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual harassment

amalas_bookstop's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

I thought this was a pretty simple plot. The story opens with Effy who attends the Architecture College at the University she attends. She did test high enough to attend the literature college however the school has an archaic rule that states women are not allowed. After entering a competition she is awarded an opportunity to stay at and design her favorite authors home who is recently deceased. It is through this opportunity she meets the love interest Preston and uncovers secrets that will have the potential to rewrite history. 

Ava Reid is a really descriptive writer. I think she did a really good job of exploring some of the more triggering topics in this novel in a very age appropriate way as this is a YA novel. I also really enjoyed how she described the anxiety that Effy was feeling every day. There was only one scene between the love interests Preston and Effy that seemed to toe the line a little, seemed more like adult content. 

I only have a few critiques. First, I thought the pace of this story was a little slow and very predictable. Once you get to the end the twist (if you could call it that) was not a surprise more of a confirmation. The ending seemed to also drag a little for me as well. I found myself skimming. Secondly, based on the cover and title I thought this book would have dark academia vibes, but this doesn’t quite hit the mark. While the overall atmosphere does seem pretty bleak. The university has a very minor role and I just don’t get the prestigious atmosphere like I have gotten in other dark academia novels. 

Overall it was a great break from my usual tastes, but I will probably never think of it again. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Stalking, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Pedophilia

Minor: Death of parent

holliesatchell's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Pedophilia

sophiarichter's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

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

3.25

I was really excited to read this book because I saw a glowing review on it. To be honest I was a bit disappointed by the quality of writing, even though the world and characters were well-developed I felt like I was being hit over the head with the same point. I loved the sea imagery and many of the lines were quite beautiful.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault

jazzybelle17's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Misogyny, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual assault

midnightgarden's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, and Panic attacks/disorders

alexklop's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

2.0

2 Stars

I wanted to like this book so bad. I just kept finding myself more confused the more I read and then found myself not really even caring at all about what would happen next. Also not a fan of the obscure ending.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, and Misogyny

mynameisrebecca's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense

• 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

4.0

This book could have benefitted so much from a prologue or map of sorts. The world building is kind of choppy and it's really hard to figure out the geography and customs of the various people. The time frame is confusing to me as well - it's clearly meant to be a fantasy world, but it's around 150-200AD yet they have modern conveniences... Almost wish that was left out entirely. Also Effy's character is middling, and it rests a lot on her mental illness as a plot device rather than part of her character which sits weirdly with me. The story however is rich and the rest of the characters are well done.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Mental illness, Sexual assault, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Sexual harassment, and Sexual content

fkshg8465's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious 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

1.75

I’ve been steadily chipping away at NPR’s 2023 favorite books list. Starting to wonder why. There seem to be more I dislike than like, including this one. Yeah, heroine is great, but a lot of it is too contrived for me, and most of the characters are really despicable.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Mental illness, Abandonment, Bullying, Confinement, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Stalking

anntharai's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Jfc I went in with no expectations and only a vague idea of story as this was a reccomendation from a friend and they were right. I loved it and hated it and it made me super uncomfortable and angry as well as fired up and ready to go. I loved this reading experience. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Colonisation, Mental illness, Grief, Classism, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Body shaming, and Alcohol