Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin

12 reviews

kelkelkelkelly's review

dark emotional funny 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

I loved this book so much. Enid is a vivid, authentic character that bundles her quirks, flaws, desires and fears together in a beautifully authentic way. The cast of characters are all unique and feel very real, and the writing style has this clipped, frank style that really suits Enid’s POV. The plot does hinge on miscommunication tropes, but it works with the relationships in the story. There are some unexpectedly chilling and creepy moments that make this a real page-turner. This story will stay with me for a while.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Homophobia, Self harm, and Violence

bugle's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.75

I laughed, I cried (several times), I didn’t want it to end. I found Enid extremely relatable and the story engaging. The ending was neat and meaningful in a really satisfying way, especially against the (familiar) chaos of Enid’s thought clouds. I’m really grateful I found this book and can’t wait to share it with friends.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, and Mental illness

Moderate: Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and Homophobia

Minor: Pregnancy and Death of parent

disguisedposer's review

challenging emotional funny inspiring sad 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

5.0

Five stars. I love this author. She makes me feel so seen. If you've ever wondered what it's like inside the mind of a neurodivergent person, read one of her books. I also highly recommend Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead by her.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Bullying, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

kelly_e's review against another edition

emotional funny 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

Title: Interesting Facts about Space
Author: Emily R. Austin
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4.50
Pub Date: January 30, 2024

I received a complimentary eARC from Simon & Shuster Canada via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted #Ad

T H R E E • W O R D S

Charming • Relatable • Hopeful

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Enid is obsessed with space. She can tell you all about black holes and their ability to spaghettify you without batting an eye in fear. Her one major phobia? Bald men. But she tries to keep that one under wraps. When she’s not listening to her favorite true crime podcasts on a loop, she’s serially dating a rotation of women from dating apps. At the same time, she’s trying to forge a new relationship with her estranged half-sisters after the death of her absent father. When she unwittingly plunges into her first serious romantic entanglement, Enid starts to believe that someone is following her.

As her paranoia spirals out of control, Enid must contend with her mounting suspicion that something is seriously wrong with her. Because at the end of the day there’s only one person she can’t outrun—herself.

💭 T H O U G H T S

I picked up Interesting Facts about Space on whim, not knowing what to expect. I had been intrigued by Emily R. Austin's novel Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead, but I hadn't gotten a chance to read it yet. With that said, I am so glad to have taken a chance on this one - it was one of those books that just spoke to me on so many different levels.

Told from the first person perspective, the meandering writing style follows Enid's stream of consciousness, allowing for an in-depth glimpse into her inner thoughts, insecurities, and motivations. As a result of this, the pacing is quite slow through the first half, with the plot taking a backseat, and a lot packed into the final third. For most of the narrative, I really had no idea where it was going - and that is exactly why I ended up loving it.

Enid is unique, yet so relatable. I loved being inside her brain and trying to figure out why she is the way she is. Although it tackles some serious topics, there is an underlying comical tone that really set the stage. There were so many 'me too' moments sprinkled throughout. I saw myself in how she notices her mother's struggles when the little things start disappearing. Additionally, when Enid describes needing 5-minutes to rehearse what she will say to the waitress, I just felt so seen.

Interesting Facts about Space is one of those books that is incredibly hard to describe, yet so deeply human. It was a little weird, a lot messy, and in all honesty, not a whole lot happens, but somehow it worked. I was left with a quiet satisfaction and I would definitely read another book like it. I didn't realize Emily R. Austin is a Canadian author and I look forward to reading Everyone in This Room will Someday Be Dead sooner rather than later.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of the character study
• anyone who has felt weird and misunderstood
• readers who like neurodivergent MCs

⚠️ CW: mental illness, panic attacks/disorders, anxiety, depression, paranoia, PTSD, self-harm, eating disorder, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt, stalking, abandonment, murder, death, death of parent, grief, fire/fire injury, ableism, homophobia, lesbophobia, outing, bullying, infidelity, vomit, pregnancy, sexual content, gaslighting, toxic relationship

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"I wish I could have one nice interaction with everyone and then disappear."

"I wonder why some people are like her, and some people are like me… I can’t tell people things like, ‘It’s always so nice to see you’, let alone say something like, ‘I love you’, without feeling my insides curdle. I have to tell them about sunsets on Mars or bake them offensive cakes. I bet she tells Gina she loves her. I bet she doesn’t know anything about stars."

"I will never understand how my dad could stand in the glow of my mom, as if an inch from a star, and be unmoved by her formidable light. It has been devastating to watch her fade in response to him." 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Self harm, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, Outing, Stalking, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, and Homophobia

Minor: Murder, Death of parent, Grief, Sexual content, Eating disorder, Vomit, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Death, and Infidelity

anxiety, depression, paranoia, PTSD

brebooks_'s review

dark emotional informative mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Gaslighting, Bullying, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Murder, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Stalking

seashellgigi's review

dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Outing, Infidelity, Hate crime, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Dysphoria, Stalking, Sexism, Homophobia, Biphobia, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Grief, and Lesbophobia

errie's review against another edition

dark emotional funny

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking, Mental illness, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Death of parent, Ableism, Bullying, Outing, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Homophobia, Toxic relationship, and Suicidal thoughts

ewottrich's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense fast-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

4.25

This book was well written and I’m glad I read it, but whew - much of this book was a stressful, uncomfortable read. I think I tagged half of the content warning labels when writing this review. Certainly a heavy, anxious read. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Stalking, and Vomit

Moderate: Infidelity, Bullying, Drug use, Self harm, Fire/Fire injury, and Homophobia

Minor: Death of parent

sapphotoni's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking and Mental illness

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Outing, Fire/Fire injury, Ableism, Bullying, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Abandonment, and Homophobia

Minor: Sexual content, Self harm, and Vomit

ashyq's review

challenging emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Chronic illness, Ableism, Stalking, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Grief, Vomit, and Blood

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Infidelity, Self harm, Suicide, Bullying, Gaslighting, and Homophobia

The protagonist is obsessed with true crime podcasts and sometimes the novel has quotes from this podcasts with explicit details relating to the murders.