Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao

7 reviews

rockxsee's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Confinement, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Trafficking, Sexual violence, and Physical abuse

karlisimp's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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? No

3.5

This would’ve been a 4-5 star read however the ending was awful and anticlimactic. The author should’ve gone one or two more paragraphs. This book is extremely dark and hard to read at most times. Story is mostly rewarding.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Sexual assault, Rape, Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Torture, Sexual violence, Hate crime, Domestic abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

calster's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-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? No

3.0

Beautiful writing, devastating story, unsatisfying ending 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Kidnapping, Domestic abuse, Rape, Physical abuse, Violence, Trafficking, Sexism, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Death of parent and Drug use

Minor: Alcoholism

lynnmarier99's review against another edition

Unfortunately the storytelling didn’t work for me. So many cruel things were happening to the main characters, and I understand that the author is showing how poor women in India are treated, but it was hard for me to see what was happening to them. I also didn’t feel connected enough to the main characters to keep reading. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Drug use, Sexism, Trafficking, Sexual assault, and Rape

margaretrose's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-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? Yes

4.0

A heart-wrenching story with so many almost-could-be-true elements that you ache for the characters as you read.

Rao really makes you choose your own ending, as she gives you pieces of the setting and atmosphere that are so similar that make you believe that it is possible that it actually will turn out ok for Savitha and Poornima. It still isn't definite closure, you still end the book unsure that they are back together. I'm still asking the question: will they be ok?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Trafficking, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Ableism, Drug use, and Rape

nytephoenyx's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? No

5.0

This book is absolutely heart-wrenching.

It contains a beautiful friendship, but it contains even more horrible people.  There is so much pain written into this book, so many things happened that should not happen.  Girls Burn Brightermakes you fall in love with Poornima and Savitha and then shows what the world does to women, to Indian women, to poor women, to strong-willed woman.  The world, in case you have forgotten, is a dark and cruel place and so many people are selfish animals.

So while I didn’t enjoy reading Girls Burn Brighter for all the pain and rage it left me with, I deeply, deeply appreciated this book.  It’s a character-driven novel about two young women who meet as teenagers and are separated by cruelty and happenstance. Rao takes her time in the beginning, luring the reader into a false sense of security where you know life’s difficult, but there is hope for a happy ending.  Then it’s all downhill from there.  In this way, Girls Burn Brighter is both a journey and a reminder that more often than not, endings are sadder than we want and the journeys are difficult and we are so privileged to be reading this book and not going through life in the same way as these young women.

Girls Burn Brighter left me with a lot to think about.

There are all sorts of traumatic events in this pages of the book, so before picking it up, make sure to check for content warnings.  Off the top of my head, there is rape, sexual assault, human trafficking, prostitution, kidnapping, slavery (of a sort), physical abuse, emotional abuse… Girls Burn Brighter is filled with different levels of trauma and it is really important to check in with yourself and come prepared, otherwise I can see how this book could be triggering.

It’s a book I couldn’t put down – both because of the story and because I think Soneela Nankani did an excellent job reading it.  You are brought so easily into the world, especially through Savitha’s POV where there is so much joy in both food and textiles.  The writing is excellent – this is a sparkling debut novel and puts Rao on my “To Watch” list.  The writing is lyrical but direct, and the story is an important one.

It’s not the type of book that’s going to leave you feeling good, but it’s a powerful, emotional story and I highly recommend it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Trafficking

Moderate: Ableism, Medical content, and Racism

Minor: Alcoholism and Drug use

biblioleah's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

this was so much more graphic and traumatic a story than i was expecting, and although it was so hard to read, i admire what the book brought to light and the writing was truly lovely, the characters more than admirable.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Infertility, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, and Vomit

Minor: Racism