Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

As irmãs Blue + brindes by Coco Mellors

85 reviews

tishag's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

2.5

I struggled with this book - a lot - but I'll start with the positives: the writing was really well done and the plot was interesting. That's all IMO. It was depressing, sad, and slow. Books about familial relationships intrigue me, so I trudged along, but contemplated DNFing it a couple times. I don't usually DNF books because I feel like there's always a chance for redemption and with this book there was a bit of that with the ending so I don't feel like I wasted time finishing it, but it's not a book I'd recommend.

If you're thinking about reading it, really look at the trigger warnings ahead of time. There are a lot of heavy topics. Addiction, a variety of abuses, adultery...as well as explicit descriptions of drug use and intimate scenes. The ending is the only section that has a remote bit of happiness in it, so if you don't like heavy, depressing books, steer clear. 

Also, I wish I had read the book instead of listening to it. The narration was not good in my opinion. As someone who listens to a lot of audiobooks, I can easily tolerate a variety of narration voices and styles. But this sounded like a robot was reading in a fake accent. I looked up the narrator and found some videos on her Instagram account. She has a lovely voice, so I can't figure out why the narration was so off.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, and Sexual content

amyford's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction and Alcoholism

Moderate: Death, Drug use, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Grief

issyd23's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense slow-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

3.0

Preferred her first book - this one took me a while to care about the sisters but I eventually got there 3💙

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

skbgfd's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction and Death

Moderate: Infidelity and Grief

Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Vomit

cajun_reader's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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

4.75

This is a great book about the complicated yet enduring relationship between sisters. It explores the special bond sisters can have, and how that connection can lead to anger, fear, grief, and pain but also comfort, joy, and love. As one of four sisters myself, the story of the Blue sisters resonates with me.

The four sisters are quite different in their lifestyles and interests. One of the sisters has died, and the other three are struggling with their grief. They are each unraveling in different ways until they come together to go through their dead sister’s belongings.

I loved this book! The sisters are all fully developed, and I became invested in their outcomes. If you like stories about sibling dynamics, read this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction and Alcoholism

Moderate: Sexual content

kelly93's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Alcohol

gwenswoons's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

This was good — it came to me as part of a monthly book subscription I have with a literary fiction-ish bent, and it definitely fit that bill. The prologue immediately captured me; I love a complicated-family saga (or a complicated family saga, true either way), and I loved the immediate characterizations of the different sisters.

I struggled at points to stay really engaged with the book. I actually love that it basically does nothing but watch our main characters reckon with grief, but to my reading there were so many moments that I felt could have been crafted ever so slightly more specifically: specific repetition done either less often or more intentionally; inconsistencies of voice that felt again less intentional than they might be (particularly in the back and forth American/British-ness of certain characters and relationships); a good number of typos, oddly. I don’t often think about this stuff but I guess I felt that as good as this is, there was an even more special book within reach and it felt a little disappointing even as I thought it was good in many ways. The choice to write in multiple POVs — one I often do love — felt like it caused   the sisters to be deliberately kept separate for so much of the book; perhaps why I felt the prologue and epilogue were some of the most effective moments in the novel.

Anyway — it’s good, not (for me) great, and I’m not sure I would read more by CM. It’s sad but without big lingering impact, I think, which breaks my heart a little bit since there’s potentially so much intense and powerful stuff in here about family, addiction, grief.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

gohgye's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-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

5.0

One of the best reads so far this year (take with a pinch of salt) 
Characters are well developed with their individual strengths and weaknesses. I really enjoyed how the author depicted the joys, sorrows and squabbles of sisterhood. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent

janienejulia's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Alcohol

Moderate: Sexual content and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Vomit, and Pregnancy

nenya's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective 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

5.0

if i could give more than five stars, i would (in fact i gave 5.75 but i don’t know if story graph will let me get away with that). i don’t think i have ever fallen in love with a book this quickly - not to be dramatic but it’s perfect and easily my new favorite book. i envy everyone who will get to read it for the first time. it depicts sisterhood, womanhood, sexuality, friendships, relationships, addiction, love and so much more just so extremely real and it tells so many truths that put in to words feelings you might know but were never really able to articulate. the characters are just meticulously crafted, they are like real people to me - they could literally just jump off the page and exists in real life. i already miss this book even though i literally just finished it and i know that it will stay with me for a long time and that i will return to it more than once.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Sexual content, Grief, and Alcohol

Moderate: Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence