Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods

92 reviews

kaekaeunicorn99's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious 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

I cried when it ended, it was beautiful.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Death, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

ivi_reads_books's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

2.75

Liked the dual timeline but did not understand the attraction between any of the love interests. A lot happens plot-wise in a very short time and it didn't always make sense to me how characters acted. I would have preferred if the author explored the inner workings of the characters more rather stumbling from one tragic event to the next.
If you don't want to read about certain topics consult the trigger warnings as this book is quite dark.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Sexism, Mental illness, Classism, Pregnancy, Murder, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse

Minor: War

fancyjess_party's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious 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? No

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Child death, Death of parent, Deportation, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Cancer, Self harm, Grief, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness

kay_chan's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

1.5

Based on the synopsis, this book was so disappointing. I was expecting a historical fiction with whimsical elements to it. What I got was 90% women's trauma, a sprinkling of magical element that wasn't explained whatsoever, and a hint of historical element when it pertains to classic books and their authors. 

I almost dnf'd this book three or four times because the topics are dark and not developed well within the characters. It was shock value for me because I wasn't expecting it and even though I managed to finish it to get to the kind of "HEA", I don't think it was worth it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, and Murder

Moderate: Medical trauma

Minor: War

catiebick's review against another edition

emotional mysterious 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Alcoholism, and War

rosietomyn's review against another edition

mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Violence, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, War, Stalking, and Addiction

smilagros's review against another edition

dark hopeful medium-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? It's complicated

3.25

This was my work book club pick and I did not mind it. I read it on audio and I loved the full cast. I thought that this was historically accurate, especially regarding Opaline’s story. I normally am not someone who enjoys magic realism in their books but I did not mind it in this one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Misogyny, Death, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, and Sexism

roxyrip'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I didn't think I was going to like this book at the beginning as much as I ended up liking it. I loved the duel timeline, the 3 POV's, and most of how it came together in the end. I didn't give 5 stars due to still having a few questions in the end that I would have liked answered.

Who was Madame Bowden? Seemed to indicate the shop/house in some way but there was no other mention of it manifesting like that before. I think this part would have been better in Martha's POV not Henry's.
What's with the mind reading scattered throughout the book? 
What happened when Shane fell down the stairs? 
Why was the bookshop hidden in the first place? 
Did Opaline search for Rose?
How was Opaline able to go back to living in and operating the bookshop after all that time?
How did Opaline's story end? I get that she mostly had a happy ending with Josef but I wanted more info on their life after he came back. 
Did Martha tell her mom about the relation to Opaline, the bookshop and who Opaline was?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Death, Forced institutionalization, and Physical abuse

Minor: Suicide and Alcoholism

libraryofdreaming's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

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

1.0

For a book about a magical bookshop, this had very little magic and very little about the actual bookshop. I struggled to connect with the characters as they made increasingly baffling decisions. The small bits of fantasy were just weird, not entertaining. There were quite a few plot holes too. I wanted to root for the romance(s) but they involved so much cheating and lack of communication I couldn't connect with them at all. 

I ended up putting the audiobook on 3x speed just to finish and even then it seemed never ending. Also, I feel like none of the blurbs or reviews I read really conveyed how GRIM this book is as it deals with domestic abuse and forced institutionalization. Once again I simply beg publishers/authors to add trigger/content warnings!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

md3's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Suicide, Death, Forced institutionalization, Child death, Misogyny, Death of parent, Blood, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, and Gun violence