Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Insatiable by Daisy Buchanan

9 reviews

cecilialau_'s review against another edition

4.0

This was very much a page-turner for me. And I’m still surprised by that to be fair - bc “white woman is unhappy“ isn’t always done well or interestingly tbh (e.g. forced relatability or she’s just spoiled). So I don’t reach for those stories often, but I though this one had a bit of a twist to that and the contrasts of rich/poor was the focal point in many aspects.
A flawed main character - a general thing with these ppl and realistic, and some you really “disliked” with a passion. Enjoyed how and what we got to know about her.

- I really wish the blurb said less btw. At least the penultimate paragraph needs to go… I try to only read the first paragraph in the blurb and then I might read more of it once I’m “in” the story, otherwise I feel it spoils the fun of exploring when you first sit down with it if you know too much or the blurb takes your expectations in the wrong/an unnecessary direction.

Anyway, there’s loads of sex, hence the erotica descriptor. Which I think explains (at least to some degree) the “low” rating bc some ppl are just a bit prudish when you read through some of the reviews, let’s be honest….
I’d say a very intriguing, exciting and frustrating story about actually considering our worth and self-esteem.

(A few things said e.g. about ending your life that I wasn’t too sure about in terms of phrasing though.)

THRILLED that Nadia came back into her life and she seemingly made some great (conscious) choices in the end. Love that for her.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Gaslighting, Infidelity, Abandonment, Child death, Toxic friendship, Grief, Eating disorder, and Emotional abuse

yellowpurple500's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• 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

I found the links back to the wedding storyline interesting and I enjoyed the character development of Violet. However, the rest of the book fell a little flat for me. I found the other characters a bit dull and not fleshed out enough, especially all the male characters.

For an erotica I found myself rolling my eyes a lot at the sex scenes. It felt like if someone just looked at Violet she came. There were points where someone barely touched her and she was at the point of orgasm. I get this woman is horny but CALM DOWN. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Cursing, Fatphobia, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child death, Classism, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Addiction

foxonabook's review against another edition

fast-paced

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

1.0

I picked up this book because it's different from what I would usually gravitate to. I thought this would be a more erotic version of Sally Rooney's books, but what I got was smutty fanfiction masquerading as a queer contemporary novel. 

Violet is a lonely 26-year-old millennial stuck in a dead-end job and drifting aimlessly through life. Until one day she meets the mysterious and attractive Lottie and her entire life is upended within the space of a few days. Literally. A few days. Is the reader truly expected to believe that anything portrayed in the book is plausible? 

Surprisingly, the poorly written sex (which, if I'm being brutally honest, is better described as written by a teenager whose only source material is really cheap and unrealistic porn) wasn't my biggest bugbear. It was how incredibly unbelievable Violet was portrayed. Perhaps I'm not the target audience, but, geez... this was the second contemporary millennial chick-lit that I read where I felt millennial women were very poorly, one-dimensionally and stereotypically portrayed. Violet has no redeeming qualities.

I was also infuriated by some of the blink-and-you'll-miss-it themes that Buchanan clearly included as a tick-box exercise, such as the eating disorder, coercive abuse, sexual assault, etc. 

Don't bother with this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual assault, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Vomit

Moderate: Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Infidelity, and Mental illness

sib_reads's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Moderate: Child death, Death, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, and Vomit

Minor: Alcohol and Drug use

katiewhocanread's review against another edition

dark emotional funny fast-paced

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

Frustratingly inconsistent in quality. Ridiculously porny (by which I don't just mean explicit, but the sex scenes are often contrived and unconvincing, and leave you asking "who's putting what where now?") Protagonist Violet makes terrible choices throughout, and I'm not sure I was rooting for a happy ending for her so much as just wanted to stay her kicking and screaming away from the awful, awful creeps she's got involved with. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Grief, Dysphoria, Infidelity, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Vomit, and Child death

nialiversuch's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective 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? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Alcohol, Classism, and Cursing

Moderate: Child death and Sexual assault

Minor: Drug use

hannahmayreads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-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? Yes

4.0

This book is a filthy mess and I loved every page. Under all the raunchy stuff though is a well-considered story about a young woman coming to grips with herself. Violet is as complex as any modern young woman is - I share many of her angsts and anxieties - and while her unravelling is expected, it is refreshingly told. Feeling looked over, ignored, dismissed and wondering if adulthood will ever arrive, it’s not hard to see why Violet falls so quickly into a relationship with Lottie, Simon and their friends. It’s validation and satisfaction, an irresistible combination. What they offer Violet is all the relationships she needs - romance, friendship, job - and in her lonely, frustrating existence this seems like the answer to everything. This book is a lot like all the other “millennial angst” books out there, but the difference here is that Violet isn’t having terrible Tinder sex. 

It covers female desire with great nuance and luxuriates in the pleasure of it. Buchanan captures the wonderful and confusing nature of female desire, tracking it through Violet as she comes to understand herself and what she wants, allowing room for all the complexities, contradictions, and joys women experience without shame. It is bold, but it is also normalising. This is a very lusty book, but its really about love - platonic and romantic - which is something we can all get behind. 

There is (predictably) a neat happy ending, but as Marian Keyes says, the reader deserves a happy ending because there’s already enough going on in our own lives.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexism, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Child death, Grief, and Infidelity

travelseatsreads's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.0

This was an enjoyable and funny read at times however I feel it isn't anything new.
Violet came across as incredibly naïve and immature and I honestly wanted to shake her throughout. The themes that were touched on are ones the a lot of 20 somethings do struggle with however, at times it all felt a little bit flippant and forced.

The narrator I feel definitely added to the flow and increased my appreciation of the book.
 
I enjoyed it for a light hearted giggle but it didn't rock my world.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Moderate: Child death, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship

rainbowsandbookshelves's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Vomit, Toxic relationship, and Infidelity

Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, Child death, Eating disorder, and Emotional abuse