Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams

46 reviews

cady_sass's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

I lack the skill to properly articulate why I love the books that I love. This is so raw, and honest, and NOT the fairytale love story we’ve come to expect or be used to in the genre. These characters are deeply developed and the story is perfect. I have nearly nothing to pick to apart here, I loved it. This is not fluff and this is a bit of a darker read but that only added to my love for it. 
Also adding for context- I am slightly biased because I’m a sucker for any story with chronic/invisible illness representation, and this does that EXTREMELY well.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Self harm, Sexual content, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Addiction

frantically's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

Really enjoyed this at first but it didn't work for me all the way through. Loved the migraine representation though! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Child death and Gun violence

deetabz's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Addiction, Chronic illness, Drug use, and Self harm

Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Sexism, Suicide, Bullying, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual harassment, and Violence

Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Ableism

peachani's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Abandonment, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Grief, Pedophilia, and Self harm

Minor: Cursing, Ableism, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Blood, Gun violence, Medical content, and Vomit

_mack_jack_'s review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing 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

this is genuinely one of the best books i have ever read. williams writes about love, sex, general trauma, race, passion for career, the hardships of both motherhood and teenage years, and so much more so impeccably well. there were several moments i had to physically set the book down to take a breath because i was so excited, and other moments where i had to force my eyes to stay on the sentence i was reading instead of skipping ahead to figure out what happens. she captured a stronger glimpse of the human experience than any author i’ve ever read. i’m left in awe of this book and would recommend it to anyone.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Addiction, Child abuse, Sexism, Vomit, Drug use, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Self harm, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

brittanyweigandt's review

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Car accident, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Gun violence, Self harm, and Violence

oliviastewart716's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-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

3.5

3.5⭐️This took me forever to read because it was written so weird. The writing was intelligent, but also bizarre. It was like “how many pop culture references can we fit in here? We have to make sure they know it was written in 2019!” It was just a lot. And every character (besides our main 2) felt like charicitures. Just don’t get the buzz, even though it had good moments. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, and Self harm

Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Violence, Child death, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Death of parent, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, and Car accident

nebraskanwriter's review against another edition

challenging 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? Yes

1.0

Imagine romanticizing a toxic high school relationship you had with a boy you’d only known for a couple days and then using him as your muse to write an entire erotic vampire romance series for the next 15 years….

Then imagine him reappearing in your life because HE’s now ready to talk to you, the audacity.

So much miscommunication, instalove, toxic relationships/habits and tendencies. They are not good for each other, they are constantly running away from things and not communicating with each other. Even 15 years later and they’re both still hurting each other, leaving/running away. They do not help each other be better people.

This book, these characters, it just wasn’t for me.

Also the “twist” where Lizette was the one that sent Shane to jail because she thought he had done something to Eva (which is TOTALLY understandable!) as the scene she walks in on is literally Eva passed out from drugs & alcohol as well as pleading from her self-harm cuts so there’s blood. Why didn’t Shane tell her? I just don’t understand why if you loved them so much you wouldn’t be straight up with him from the get go after he left you? If you guys had such a real and intense connection, how could you let him go that easily?

Also I feel like Ty’s death was written so cheaply? Like a 13 year old innocent boy was just killed and and yet the author only spend a couple of pages talking about Shane’s reaction when this boy meant so much to him. Also, why couldn’t Shane have called Eva to let her know that that’s why he “stood her and Audre up” was because he was literally going to the hospital to say goodbye to his student.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Police brutality, Racism, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Self harm, Sexual content, Cursing, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Drug use, Medical content, and Vomit

thatswhatshanread's review

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

5.0

Easily a 5-star read. Tears were spilled. Heart rates increased. Laughs were had. It was a whole thing. 

Normally I find it hard for me to fully connect with an MC through third-person POV, but that was definitely not the case with this book. Instantly immersive.

Tia Williams’ writing is clever, dizzying, heart-melting, and mind bending. Clever, because her dialogue is so sharp and her characters so well developed. Dizzying, because the pain and love is so evocative of reality. Heart-melting because the relationship between Eva and Shane is so powerful and honest and sensual and real and right. Mind bending because every single aspect of this book was handled with such great care that you forget you’re reading. 

What I especially adored about “Seven Days In June”, aside from the overall theme of giving/taking second chances and the chronic migraine representation, was how much I genuinely loved the characters. Eva, Shane, Audre(!), Cece, Belinda… 
Excellently written. This novel is a great example of mixing a character- and plot-driven story together in the right way. 

It was also a beautiful and sincere ode to the Black community, to Black love.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug use, Cursing, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Death, Forced institutionalization, Violence, Grief, Sexual harassment, Blood, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Car accident, Gun violence, and Xenophobia

laurapatricia's review against another edition

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

5.0

I loved this book so much
I finished reading it at the beach while my class was playing volleyball, I think you could say I’m pretty social
anyway I loved the book because it had a good balance between the character development and the plot
go read it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Self harm