Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams

27 reviews

socheydy's review

emotional 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

3.75

READ AS AUDIOBOOK. For about 80% of the book I would say it was nice background for my lego building. I am not really a big lover of contemporary romance but always like to try one every so often. If you love the genre then you’ll love this book. I enjoyed the exploration into black and creole culture, I do find (personally) that white contemporaries bore me towards the end and end up on my tbr so this was definitely a big upgrade. The last 20% of the book is what stole my heart.

the side plot of shane and ty caught me by surprise. I didn’t expect it from this book and I loved it so much that it completely changed the way I saw the book. I think within contemporary books I always end up falling in love with the main characters’ side stories. eva and her mother’s relationship was so much more interesting to me than her and shane’s. 

overall a solid book for me

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Violence, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, and Drug use

Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Gaslighting

Minor: Car accident and Death of parent

alicelalicon's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Self harm, Gaslighting, and Medical content

Minor: Death of parent and Car accident

dannythestreet's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Racism, Self harm, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, and Addiction

Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Grief, Death, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Kidnapping

davalyns's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

3.0

The book was fun, and I enjoyed moments, particularly how close Eva (protagonist) was to her daughter Audre.

I also enjoy Black female contemporary writers but naming the child Audre Zora Toni Mercy-Moore was a bit heavy-handed for me.

I wasn't a fan of the flashbacks and consistent reminders that Eva and Shane (love interest) were so intensely passionate about each other as teens in their thirties were still affected by it. I also wasn't a fan of the teenage bits in the story. I get it was vital to the story, but it took away from the stronger connection they could have made as adults.

What I loved the most were Eva's genealogy discoveries. Her finding stories about her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother was the best part of the book. I feel Tia has a great story there, and she should explore that. Reading about women from Louisiana always gives me a perk, and I would have enjoyed that more.

I also enjoyed the ending, realistically having Shane realize that he needed to get his life for himself before he could ever be a partner for Eva and stepfather for Audre.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Medical content, Self harm, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, and Misogyny

kayladaila's review

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Vomit

Minor: Ableism, Car accident, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, and Pedophilia

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

claudiamacpherson's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Child death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Medical content, Mental illness, Vomit, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Violence, Ableism, Addiction, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, Chronic illness, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Self harm, and Sexual content

reddeddy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Self harm, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Child death, Classism, Death, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Grief, Violence, Vomit, Blood, Gun violence, Murder, Physical abuse, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Cultural appropriation, Pregnancy, Sexism, Car accident, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Infidelity, Racism, and Rape

shaipanda's review

dark hopeful tense medium-paced

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

4.25

As much as I wish it was this was definitely not a 5 star read for me personally 
This book was deeply fucked up and the characters were super flawed but those weren’t even the reason why it wasn’t 5 ⭐️- I mean I fully was not prepared for all of that but that wasn’t even the issue really I don’t think. My issue mainly was because of all of that despite how much I loved the characters and the incredible character work that Tia Williams did, the main couple just seemed toxic and like they probably shouldn’t be together at least not till they got their shit together. That’s all even more true with Eva having a daughter and her being at least somewhat aware of their relationship. However, I do think this book is really really important in a lot of ways and was really really well done which is why I rated it as (relatively) highly as I did. 
Not even when I finished it but as I got towards the end I really could not decide how I feel about this book. I think 4.25 is a pretty good descriptor but I still don’t fully know cause this book gave me such mixed feelings 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Violence, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Addiction, Alcohol, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Mental illness, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Racism, Car accident, Child death, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Vomit

There are many instances of racial slurs, specifically the n word being used in this book but just wanted to give the context of that word only being used by Black people in this book. I feel kinda weird putting it as a content warning because of that context since I don’t think that’s what they mean but just in case, I figured I’d include it cause it is in there

maya_reads_books's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• 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: Alcoholism, Blood, Self harm, and Sexual content

Moderate: Gaslighting, Medical content, Racism, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Child death