Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters

23 reviews

auudrey's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Violence, Emotional abuse, Deadnaming, Outing, Pregnancy, and Transphobia

Moderate: Miscarriage, Racism, Sexism, Body shaming, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Hate crime

natalienicholas's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Dysphoria, Miscarriage, Abortion, Blood, Death, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Transphobia

brynalexa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

Wonderful exploration of found family and diversity of queer relationships and culture. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Abortion, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Dysphoria, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Hate crime, Miscarriage, and Death

Moderate: Deadnaming, Toxic friendship, Self harm, Misogyny, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Drug use

redrosemoth's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

This book is complex with interesting and imperfect characters. My only critique is the plot overall didn’t go very far and I wish it had. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Abortion, Dysphoria, Sexual content, Deadnaming, Death, Homophobia, Infertility, Outing, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Suicide, and Toxic friendship

shirtypantser's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-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

0.75

The writing is good, the story is not. 

The premise is stupid (I don't say that lightly), the two trans characters are unlikeable and one is unredeemable. Racism, sexism both present on a regular basis in this. Author went pretty deep on fetishes but didn't quite pull off the point I think they were going for. I'm horrified this book is out there representing the trans fem community. This book gives the impression it was written by someone that doesn't actually like or much respect trans women.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Abortion, Alcoholism, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Fatphobia, Ableism, Body shaming, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Infidelity, and Physical abuse

ceilidhwilliams's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria, Grief, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Outing, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Transphobia, Self harm, and Sexual content

readbycarina's review against another edition

challenging funny reflective medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Miscarriage, Outing, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Infidelity, Alcohol, and Infertility

Minor: Suicide attempt

travelseatsreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring reflective tense 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

4.5

Detransition, Baby is a book which will inevitably polarize people. Just like its title, its contents are at times quite challenging. Even at its least provocative there will be someone reading somewhere shrieking in horror at what they just read. It is in that challenging nature of the book that I adore how brave Torrey Peters was in telling a story of gender, of mother & fatherhood, of queerness and overwhelmingly of the prejudice and trauma that everyone carries around regardless of their gender or sexual orientation.

It would have been easy and hugely less controversial for Peters to make these 3 women flawless and likeable but rather than take the easy route she showed how deeply flawed and damaged all three of them were in their own ways. There are chunks of the book that reek of misogyny. There are violent, graphic and demeaning sex scenes. There are deeply prejudiced thoughts thrown about on occasion. There are sections where you will think what the actual f*** is wrong with them. And then there are sections full of love, tenderness, fulfillment and a deep yet brutal level of understanding and self awareness. Peters shies away from the fluffy rainbow coloured persona often provided and delves deep into what can be at times an absolute tangle of beautiful destruction.

Towards the last few chapters I longed to know just that little bit more about Reese and her backstory, her character was so full and intriguing I wanted to know more about where all that angst and inner turmoil came from. That and some other lingering questions kept me from that last star.

Overall, while this will not be a book for everyone, I think everyone should at least attempt to read it with an open mind and glean from it what they can.
What Peters showed effortlessly throughout the book is that none of it is easy, being trans, being queer or indeed immersing yourself into those worlds as a straight cis female. It's complicated and I loved Detransition, Baby for that honesty and rawness. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Cursing, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Outing, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Violence, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Sexism, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Death, Grief, Hate crime, Mental illness, and Drug use

karolinaz's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, Grief, Hate crime, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Transphobia, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Self harm, Sexism, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Miscarriage, Body shaming, Dysphoria, Outing, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

thanmayi's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

3.75

 This book isn't written for the comfort of cis women and that's something that a lot of people in these reviews seem to be missing.

This book is so beautifully written and is unapologetically trans, it looks at the darkest parts of being a trans woman, transitioning and detransitioning. I don't think I will ever be able to do this book justice when I talk about it. What I will say is that this is an important book, one that everyone needs to read at least once in their life. 

I will emphasize going through the content warnings because this book has a lot of heavy content. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Homophobia, and Outing

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Deadnaming, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and Pregnancy

My only issue with this book however was the entire cheating plot