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kerrence30's review
- 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
The main character is a walking nightmare and she enjoys it, embracing a certain style, and treating everyone around her terribly, to say the least.
Would re-read.
Graphic: Mental illness, Rape, Torture, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
megmax's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Murder
zeldazonks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book made me feel so icky and just despondent in a way I'm not sure I've experienced when reading a book before. It was genuinely challenging to read but also so compelling. I've read a lot of books with unlikeable, problematic women protagonists but Irina Sturgess is on another level.
I didn't like the pacing of the text conversations, perhaps it works better not as an audiobook but it was quite tedious for the more mundane text threads of them arranging nights out or whatever, and that put me off a little. But when you're just listening to Irina's villain monologues it's horrifically fascinating.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual violence, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
unhingedreader's review
- 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
5.0
This book is a very visceral read, without giving too much away it has an unreliable narrator and many twists and turns.
Irina is the kind of friend that you warn people about, she is manipulative and gaslights those around her. Somewhat similar to a car crash scene that you know you shouldn’t look at, but can’t quite look away from. She has some interesting pastimes including drug and alcohol abuse, which she seems to utilise as a crutch to escape her current reality of the under appreciated artist. Apart from her bar job her main career focus is photographing generic looking men that she scouts on the streets of Newcastle. Her photography specialises on fetish art and the book follows her attempting to revive her career whilst being entirely horrible to anyone in her vicinity.
There’s many reasons I enjoyed this book, it sticks with you. Irina’s perspective will have you want to laugh at her dark wit and recoil at her true desires.
I have had the pleasure of meeting the author Eliza Clark who is a very down to earth person that writes some pretty messed up books. I would look into some of her interviews because I really think it adds to the overall narrative of the book.
Graphic: Body shaming, Drug use, Sexual assault, Violence, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
houseofjules's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It also made me realize that this is what My Year of Rest and Relaxation wants to be and falls drastically short. I have also seen this compared to American Psycho but for girls. And you know what, I liked that story as well (I've only watched it, not read it).
I think this says something bad about me, just not sure what. But I think this is a successful story because of the commentary rather than the behavior displayed by the MC. I mean, girlfriend needs therapy BAD. But her support system failed her from the beginning, starting with her relationship with her mother and the things she goes on to experience in her early years.
This is pretty privilege at play as well, which allows her to get away with lots of things. In fact its the main question she tried to find an answer to. This book feel like running your tongue over a recently extracted tooth. Painful, horrifying even, but hard to stop exploring.
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
galaxywitch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
That being said, I loved this book. Irina (the protagonist) is the bad guy of this story, but being in her head is fascinating even if it is horrifying as well.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Murder
Moderate: Eating disorder and Vomit
laurahmartens's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Gore, Rape, Sexual violence, Blood, and Murder
simply_jxde's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I had no idea where this book was going till the very end. I'm not even sure what really happened.
Graphic: Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, and Murder
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
swagboat69's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
janainthebooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Eating disorder and Alcohol