Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Normal People by Sally Rooney

795 reviews

everythingeatsandiseaten's review against another edition

emotional reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

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

3.25

beautifully written at times but adds really nothing at all to the romance trope. i find that the romanticization of marianne in particular as isolated, traumatized, etc. can come off in quite an ignorant manner. however i do think  this is purposeful because we view as she herself (and connell), but if not understood correctly can possibly be interpreted as a glamorization of her suffering. 
much of contemporary romance, especially from the 2000s and onwards feels like a wet dream— on one hand you have dark romance & monster smut, in the middle the absolute disgrace of colleen hoover, and on the other you get esoteric nonsense that fosters individuality through romanticizing mental illness and trauma. 
not to say normal people is the extreme fault of the latter at all; i’d say the biggest fault i find is within its predictability, although i wasn’t quite expecting originality from a booktok recommended novel! to give credit where credit is due, i thought rooney did a wonderful job of creating a realistic romance, however idyllic. she has so much capability with dialogue and the natural cadences of body language and movement and conversation, which is beautiful for preserving culture in a time where human nature and behavior has advanced so much and become so complex! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Grief, and Alcohol

Minor: Child abuse, Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

patidimauro's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I am crushed 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

sina4books's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Alcohol

Moderate: Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

Minor: Drug use and Death of parent

voldycat's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Eating disorder, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Alcohol

Minor: Sexual assault, Vomit, Grief, and Pregnancy

hilumin's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

2.0

this read felt like a slow descent into a dumpster fire. story started with great potential but never really took off from there, much like the main characters.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Death, Suicide, and Grief

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Racism, and Pregnancy

cmw276's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

I'm a bit late to the game with this one, as I know everyone loves it, but this book pulled me in right from the start, which isn’t something that happens often. It's a love story that feels real, with life’s messiness—like friendships and mental health—woven in beautifully. It makes you think about your own life and how you’ve become the person you are.

MINI SPOILER WARNING

The ending was perfect, though a bit frustrating. It doesn’t wrap up neatly with a "happily ever after," but that’s what makes it stand out. I’m torn between wanting more and not wanting to spoil the book's essence. Now, I'm looking forward to watching the TV show.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual violence

rhhapsodos's review against another edition

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse

Moderate: Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Eating disorder

eatingwords's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad 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

3.5

although the story is set in today's times, throughout it had this 90's vibe.
I enjoyed reading Marianne's and Connell's story. they felt raw and unpolished and real, but their miscommunication drove me mad and the ending of their story left me rather unsatisfied.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Sexual violence

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Suicidal thoughts

ionlywishtorot'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Minor: Misogyny, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship

desiderium_incarnate's review against another edition

challenging emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Tbd

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Content Warnings

Minor: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Alcohol