Reviews with content warning for Gaslighting - The Places I've Cried in Public

At first, I struggled to get into this book. The writing style didn’t intrigue me and I felt the beginning was a little lacklustre. However, as I reached the main turning point, everything made sense. This is a story about a teenage girls journey to finding herself after surviving horrific emotional and sexual abuse from her boyfriend. I felt close to her throughout the story and only wanted the best for her. My heart broke when hers did, my tears ran when hers did, and I was proud of her every step of the way. This is not an easy read… it contains some dark and disturbing imagery and realities of women who undergo domestic abuse. But it needed to be told. And Bourne told it well.

Content Warnings

haddy's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This book… wow. I read this pretty much in one day, and I think it will always hold a special place in my heart. I’ve never felt so nervous for a character before, kind of anticipating what might happen next but not wanting it to happen.
Mild

I hate Reese with all of my soul. Him and his trilby can get in the bin. I want to give Amilie a big hug and shield her from the world. I love Alfie with all my heart😭 what a little Angel.

Read the content warnings before you read this!!! It’s amazing but it gets heavy, be gentle with yourselves🧡

Content Warnings

kimmmy's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective medium-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

5.0

Oh boy. I never thought a YA novel would hit differently in my almost late 20s phase. There are not enough words to encapsulate what I truly felt about this book. I wish I had read this when I was a teenager, not because I could completely relate to Amelie, but because it would have prepared me for the warning signs and red flags in a relationship.

In a nutshell, TPICIP is extremely upsetting and traumatizing, yet an eye-opening book. It's written in a flashback narrative with a delicate prose and inner monologue of the protagonist that pierced my heart. This book covers sensitive topics, including public breakdowns and debunking the misconception that crying is a sign of weakness. It emphasizes the effects of abuse in all forms, stages of grief, the significance of asking for professional help, having a strong support system, setting boundaries, and learning to trust our guts.

As much as I'm annoyed with Reese, I'd like to focus more on Amelie. She reminded me of those stubborn friends wherein you would say, "Kahit ilang beses mo iuntog sa pader, masyadong matibay ang suot na helmet." Sounds familiar? We Filipinos know this as a joke when someone isn't thinking rationally. No matter how many times you make some sense, it won't work because her thoughts are clouded. She fell hard until she hit rock bottom, but the imaginary helmet she was wearing was so sturdy that it didn't break. No one is an expert on the subject of love, but what is love anyway? Obviously, it isn't controlling, manipulating, or gaslighting. It doesn't take you for granted. And it's not love when you constantly cry. (Srsly, are you dating an onion?)

Despite the push-pull cycle, Amelie found the road to recovery and reclaiming herself. It was indeed a long and excruciating process, but one that was necessary and worth it. I felt light and free by the end, like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders and a wave of relief washed over me.

Whether it's young girls or adult women, this book applies to anyone who is confined to toxic relationships. To those who fall into a trap and are blinded by obsession, thinking what they have is one great love. There are real-life Amelies, and if you're one of them, I hope you muster up the courage to walk away from people and relationships you don't deserve. When you feel something is wrong, don't ignore your guts, because if you don't end the cycle, then who will? And if you're a Reese, seriously, you need some help!

Hands down to Holly Bourne for having the guts to write this phenomenal book. It's so underrated! It's one that I'll forever remember and treasure. That ending was a chef's kiss! I couldn't ask for a better ending. I'm torn in between recommending this and not. But pls, pls consider the tw first before diving in. I couldn't help but think of Taylor's and Olivia's songs while reading.

A deeply affecting and powerful novel, The Places I've Cried in Public appears to be shallow and immature in the beginning, but it is an in-depth analysis of how and why toxic relationships work, and more importantly, how to end a vicious cycle.

Content Warnings

leonormsousa's review

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dark emotional inspiring sad 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? Yes

4.5

TRIGGER WARNINGS

emotional abuse, gaslighting, sexism, sexual assault, rape, toxic relationship, mental illness, panic attacks/disorders, body shaming, infidelity

REPRESENTATION

none

REVIEW

Have you ever heard about stories of domestic violence or violence in relationships and thought “how did it get to this point? how did the victim not put a stop to the abuse?”? If you did, then I would definitely recommend The Places I’ve Cried in Public. It can give you the answer you’re looking for, as it is not a cute YA romance as it may seem, but a strong and hard story of abuse.

Honestly, this book has everything you might want in a (YA) book. The characters are very well built and feel real. The plot keeps you engaged and draws you in so well, that it feels like you’re inside Amelie’s skin so much that you almost fall a bit in love with Reese. And sometimes you’re yelling “please don’t do that” but at the same time you can understand everything she does. The book is also very well written, with the intercalation of present Amelie and past Amelie being *chef’s kiss * .

But maybe what I like the most about this book is that it’s not just a good book. It’s a book that has an important message and that’s targeted at an audience that NEEDS to read this message. It’s a book that matters! And books that matter always grab my little heart.

There’s not much more to say, except “go read this book”! Even if you don’t like YA, I think you might enjoy this as it is so far from your typical YA book. I myself was already expecting to be disappointed since my expectations for this were quite high but I was pleasantly surprised: I was not expecting such a strong book.

Lastly, I would like to offer another recommendation to the ones of you who want to read further on this topic. I’ve read “Into the Darkest Corner” by Elizabeth Haynes a few years ago and it’s still to this day, one of the books that I think about from time to time. It’s an adult book even heavier that “The Places I’ve Cried in Public”, as it tells with more detail not only emotional abuse but especially physical abuse, and also the consequences that being in an abusive relationship can have on years to come.

Content Warnings