Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

211 reviews

umm_igor's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Mental illness, Drug use, Self harm, and Drug abuse

blunderw0man's review against another edition

challenging dark inspiring reflective sad slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Grief, Fatphobia, Drug use, Cancer, and Eating disorder

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abortion, Toxic friendship, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Blood, Classism, Violence, and Animal cruelty

jbbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark sad 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

2.5

Tragic, absurd and very sad, often felt revolted by the depravity of the lives depicted, yet also aware that there were deep seated reasons for the behaviour. If it is funny, it’s very warped. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, and Toxic friendship

It’s been an experience!

potatereader's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Eating disorder, Drug use, Addiction, Cancer, Toxic friendship, Drug abuse, Vomit, Mental illness, and Sexual content

Moderate: Death, Grief, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Confinement, Death of parent, Infidelity, Addiction, Cancer, Self harm, and Sexual assault

liz_rath's review against another edition

reflective fast-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

3.0

Could have been an e-mail.
If this had just been the last chapter I'd have given it a much higher rating, but the way it is I feel like it's just very deeply mid. Don't read this if you don't like unlikeable protagonists though or it will feel like torture.

Honestly the book seemed deeply confused about it's themes becauee unless the intended take away was "If you're unhappy with your life and suffer from depression Jus continue being a shitty person refusing to cope with your issues abouse a bunch of drugs and your attitude and life will magically fix themselves eventually" then it was lost. If that was supposed to be the take away then "Uh weird message bro, but sure". I liked the whole disaffected Millenial stick but it did not carry a whole book. At times it felt more like I was reading a character bible instead of a story. And with how it ends, her plan just working no real twists or curveballs, I was just left wondering what the point was.
Like I'm not one to demand a classic american story structure. You just had a cool quick idea and protagonist doesn't change substatially or learn anything by the end - fine by me. But we did not need so many words to tell this story (and I am using the term very liberally here) and the thing doesn't have that many words to begin with.

But whatever the prose was competent and it was a very quick read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Grief, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Self harm, Mental illness, Drug use, Toxic friendship, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Gaslighting and Alcohol

Minor: Ableism

whatsamanthadoes's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad slow-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

4.0

I have lots of conflicting thoughts about this book. It somehow had me comparing my feelings after watching the movie Saltburn - I just saw an amazing spectacle, but I feel desolate and bereft and I want to continue to stay here and feel that.

But oh my, this girl perfected the act of girl rot. It as almost to the point where she didn't need to learn any lessons, she just transformed. This made cheering for someone when they refused to be an underdog in their own rock bottom difficult. 

This book shows a very real depiction of depression and how it affects those around you. There was also her opposite, Reva - whom she hated to love or loved to hate (hard to say). Reva seemed to deal with grief differently, but maybe just as problematically.

I wish I understood the historic event in the end. Why did the story lead Reva there?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Drug use, Mental illness, Racism, Self harm, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Abortion, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

amyford's review against another edition

dark reflective sad slow-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Grief, Cancer, Eating disorder, Body shaming, Alcoholism, Addiction, Medical content, Suicide, Bullying, Drug abuse, Vomit, Mental illness, Self harm, Terminal illness, Confinement, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Excrement

anh_read's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

The main character is unhinged and at times very problematic and insufferable. But as a reader, one could sympathize with her. 

Yet, it was such a “fun” read. The novel gives great insight into the mind of a troubled and depressed person. But I was sometimes worried that this novel glamorized mental illnesses (as if being depressed was equal to being edgy). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Alcohol, Addiction, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Body shaming, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Drug use

Moderate: Grief

Minor: Cancer, Animal cruelty, Terminal illness, Abortion, Self harm, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

read_with_bi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny sad slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Drug abuse, Self harm, Drug use, and Toxic friendship

redflyingbook's review against another edition

2.0

fleabag if all the characters were utterly unloveable. 
The writing style wasn't bad. it did keep me going. but the narrator was just an unbearable person to me. mentioning on literally every page how thin and pretty she is, being mean to literally everyone and having the book become just a single narration of pill names ? the only time i started finding her okay was when she started sleepwalking and apparently being a decent person during the forgotten time periods but dude....... also

the fact that the 4 month sleep actually helped her in the end pisses me off. she was an asshole and then all of a sudden she's not ? idk does not seem fair to me lmao

anyway glad i can move on now bye 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Fatphobia, Drug use, Addiction, Alcoholism, Grief, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Vomit, Self harm, and Abortion