Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Insatiable by Daisy Buchanan

11 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

vanillanightmare's review against another edition

funny fast-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Minor: Child death, Grief, Sexual assault, and Classism

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

rainyhayley's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

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

1.75

I have never been left more high and dry by a book. I wanted this book to be good SO badly. I wanted it to be queer and sexy and slightly more wild than your normal vanilla smut romance. Unfortunately this one really missed the mark for me, Violet is unlikeable, as is almost everyone else. The manipulation of Violet by the other characters was awful and from the beginning this book just made me sad. There was a lack of consent in most of the sex scenes and the only sex scene i enjoyed was the one right at the END. Which I almost didn’t get to because I really wanted to DNF this one. The plot is lacking and I didn’t root for Violet at all. This book also has some big trigger warnings that I should’ve looked at before I read it. The ending of this book is the ONLY redeeming factor for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Grief, and Gaslighting

kasey__'s review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny reflective 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Eating disorder

Moderate: Child death, Death, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

ggcavs's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Grief, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Rape, Gaslighting, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders

evawymer's review against another edition

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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Sexual assault

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

thecword85's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Eating disorder, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Child death, Grief, and Sexual assault

Minor: Drug abuse and Panic attacks/disorders