Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh

138 reviews

mamaofperfectpayton's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring sad tense 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Medical trauma, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Medical content, Murder, Grief, Child death, Violence, and War

bkern4's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Mental illness, War, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, and Violence

tinytrashqueen's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

• 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, War, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Body horror, Death, Medical content, Child death, and Gore

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

ceebee86's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

This book is the love letter to Syria.

I read this for an AAPI month challenge and I'm so glad I powdered through--not because it was hard for me to be interested, but because the subject matter is quite intense. Yet at the same time it is so wistful and gorgeous. I was extremely stressed reading it, and I was praying so desperately for good things to happen. 

I read a lot of stories with romance but this is the first I've read in a long time where I really genuinely felt love between the two characters coming through the pages.

I thought it was beautiful the way the story is dotted with "what ifs". They were so melancholic and dreamy to read. And though this is about Syria, I do think the themes and stories of the plight of the refugee transcends time and history.

The twist near the end part of the book stunned me. It was set up artfully and I felt myself react quite strongly, as if I was there experiencing the same shock.

Gorgeous book, if you can stomach the content. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Child abuse, Blood, War, Death, Violence, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Genocide

Moderate: Eating disorder and Pregnancy

jacss's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

4.0

To say I enjoyed this book, may be a wrongful description. But I did appreciate it. It is a necessary book; both to make experiences of a war accessible, as well as humanizing people, and possibly especially teens and kids, in wartime. 

Considering accessible entry into a wartime book, I think that the author did a good job. It seems difficult to find middle ground between informing the masses about horrific events in a war, and at the same time creating characters that are lovable. It must be difficult to stay as true as possible to crimes of war, and not scaring off readers. In my opinion, this format works. Most people (maybe again, especially teens) will not likely pick up a history book on these wars. By making it into a wartime fiction, it becomes accessible, without it losing its power as a general source of information. For me, reading it while watching genocidal atrocities unfolding in Palestine, made it especially real. Although different places, and different wars, there are similarities in terms of desparation, and conveyed feeling of being alone. I also have to say that the description of the war crimes in the novel, were expected. It wouldn't feel true without to be honest. They aren't added for shock value; they fit expectations of war. 

The book was written from pov from traumatized child. About other teens and children in a war, having lost everyone. 

Also, I thought that the plot twist was great. I am hardly ever surprised by plot twists, but this one got me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, War, Blood, and Violence

Moderate: Physical abuse

rachelbug's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, War, Mental illness, and Violence

Minor: Rape

leaknezevic's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Child death, Violence, Murder, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Death, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, War, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Medical content, Blood, and Genocide

greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Grief, Murder, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Violence, Police brutality, Torture, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Blood, Child death, Sexual violence, and War

skye_era_books's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

I don’t know that I have ever read a book more heart wrenching than this. My heart broke and put itself together again many times throughout this story. And the fact that this is the reality of many Syrians absolutely kills me. I beg that we someday see a Free Syria, Free Palestine, Free Sudan, Free Congo, and all those who are fighting for freedom. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Murder, Genocide, Child death, Medical content, Rape, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Death, Gun violence, Body horror, Blood, Violence, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Torture, Islamophobia, Mental illness, and Misogyny

behindherpages's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

phenomenal. i truly have no words:

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, War, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Medical content, Sexual assault, Violence, Death, Mental illness, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Islamophobia