Reviews tagging 'Miscarriage'

Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed

11 reviews

erebus53's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Bouncing from a frustrating book that starts conversations without trying to lead the author, I blundered into a book that is at the other end of the spectrum.
This one is a cautionary tale about family, duty, and respect. When a Pakistani American girl is discovered by her strict (strictly NO BOYS) parents, sneaking to prom with her boyfriend, they feel they have lost face in their community. In a bid to restore their reputation and win back their daughter's  virtue, they take a family holiday in Pakistan to reaffirm their roots. Soon Naila realises she is about to miss her Universtiy Orientation day, as the holiday is extended by first a week, and then a month, and is beginning to wonder if they have some plans that they are not sharing with her.

The premise is .. painfully predictable? ...but managed to mostly maintain tension. Readers who have more personal freedoms and power in their lives (..er well.. me) will be frustrated at how many secrets the protagonist holds onto. I'm a much more outspoken person, and though her inner-voice was raging against indignity, her outward demeanour was a lot more placid. That was the hugest conflict in the whole story for me, and that tension made me squirm. As a trauma survivor I do get the whole calm after the storm thing, as you shut down and just deal with the sandwich life handed you.

When the truth was divulged it may have been the sheer relief that moved me to tears, or just the distressing way that multiple characters were messed around and hurt by the agenda of people around them.

It's an okay book and probably aimed at a 15-20 age group. As it deals with contentious topics and some graphic things, it's not going to be a good pick for sensitive readers.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, and Misogyny

Moderate: Rape, Miscarriage, and Torture

Minor: Vomit, Blood, Eating disorder, and Infidelity

annamorgan27's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

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

3.0

The plot and culture were good, but the relationship between the love interests was weak. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Rape

briana7's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, Rape, Toxic relationship, Miscarriage, and Gaslighting

therapybard2021's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful tense fast-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? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Miscarriage

lizardinhat's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Rape, and Misogyny

Minor: Infidelity, Miscarriage, and Abortion

maryamthehobbit's review against another edition

emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

What a wonderful book. This was not the book that I was expecting when I picked it up, or even after the first few chapters, and I’m so glad that I read it. It deals with very dark but very real situations. I would recommend anyone to read it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Rape, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy

dlrosebyh's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Miscarriage, Rape, Infidelity, Physical abuse, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Toxic relationship and Gaslighting

watermelonsugar's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.5

Although the book is challenging and eye-opening in exposing traditional culture practices and immigrant family dynamics, it’s lackluster in it’s descriptive language at times. A large part of the book is focused on building the tension that the reader can suspect from the beginning will reveal in the main character’s consequence of disobedience. The ending is very much hopeful and unexpected in what you could expect from a mirror story in real life. Overall, this could be a safe book for people who have been victims for SA and domestic abuse or someone who may share same pressures of non-Western cultural beliefs. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Kidnapping

Minor: Miscarriage

bookcaptivated's review against another edition

emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Rape, Misogyny, Violence, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Confinement, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Miscarriage

Minor: Infidelity

aliciareads's review against another edition

emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

I would probably give this 3.5 stars tbh. Wow what a story to highlight. While I very much agree with the author that arranged/forced marriages are a silent pandemic in this country and many over the world I did think this book had some pacing problems. Not to mention I felt like this book only skimmed the surface of the characters it surrounded. 

I still enjoyed it and had an easy time reading it but I just find it lacking the depth I was hoping for.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Confinement

Moderate: Rape and Miscarriage

Minor: Violence

There are mentions of drugging and depression