Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev

21 reviews

mizz_destiny's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, and Suicide

Moderate: Abortion, Sexual assault, and Rape

thaliareads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

Sonali Dev has done it again, turning a Jane Austen classic into an entirely unique modern retelling. While it is apparent that the plot is mimicking Persuasion, it doesn't feel verbatim or as simple as a retelling, it feels like something new. 

I loved the idea of the celebrity and pro cooking contest and I enjoyed seeing Ashna work through the trauma she's grown into with the death of her father and the absence of her mother. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death of parent, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Death, Domestic abuse, Car accident, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Classism, Grief, Physical abuse, and Suicide

Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual content, and Panic attacks/disorders

This book does have a very high amount of content warnings. Ashna's mother has had a very hard life dealing with bigotry, classism, and sexism from her father first and then the man she was forced to marry. He was emotionally abusive as well as physically abusive leading to domestic abuse and even marital rape. Ashna's father struggled with alcoholism his entire life and eventually that compounded and led to his eventual suicide leaving Ashna feeling the grief of the loss as well as the blame for not being able to prevent it, leading to the panic attacks she sometimes suffers when trying to cook. There are some mentions and discussions of how Rico lost his parents in a car accident when he was young.

harperhoney's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful fast-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Addiction, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, and Alcoholism

Minor: Child abuse and Domestic abuse

alexkudej's review

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? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent

Minor: Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Child abuse

katemch's review

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Suicide, Rape, Domestic abuse, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, and Death

Moderate: Abortion and Pregnancy

taibreakfast's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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

4.0

I liked this even better than the first in the series! This one deepened the story of Persuasion by adding a multigenerational element and adding the [familial] love story between the protagonist and her mom. And that actually is just as important as or even more important than the primary romance story, although that is still good!

I also appreciate that the Louisa subplot didn't carry out entirely faithfully to the original because that is truly so rough every time!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide

Moderate: Death of parent, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Alcoholism, and Blood

Minor: Confinement, Abortion, Infidelity, and Vomit

ajahde's review

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

2.0

This book was branded as a romantic comedy, but it really is not because it deals with a lot of dark and difficult topics. I was hoping for a much more lighthearted read, which is why I think I didn’t enjoy this very much. I also really wanted more scenes set on the cooking show because I thought that sounded like a fun setting, but it was not featured that often. 

I also just could not get into the romance between Ashna and Rico. For most of the book, it felt like they were unnecessarily rude to each other and only started being nice at the very end. I wish there was more development to their relationship because it was kinda hard to see why they even liked each other. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment and Death of parent

Moderate: Suicide, Sexual assault, Rape, Alcoholism, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders

pawntksqueen's review

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Suicide

Moderate: Pregnancy

mynamescarol's review

emotional hopeful 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Suicide, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Alcoholism

macchiatojen's review

emotional funny hopeful 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, and Suicide