Reviews tagging 'Eating disorder'

Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love by Jonathan Van Ness

41 reviews

readwithmesarah's review

inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Drug use, and Eating disorder

abelh's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring slow-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Fatphobia, Sexual harassment, Homophobia, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, and Panic attacks/disorders

tieflingmom's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Cancer, Rape, Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Dysphoria, Addiction, Homophobia, Death, Fatphobia, Medical trauma, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Child abuse, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, Animal death, Biphobia, Dementia, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, and Self harm

sblisberg's review

Just not mentally in the right headspace to hear how dark his story goes. I’m so happy he is out and thriving and will finish one day. This story is worth listening to, just not after a family
Member dies

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Addiction, Alcohol, Death, and Alcoholism

maldonadobryan's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Self harm, Dysphoria, Drug abuse, and Eating disorder

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

pacifickat's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

I'm not sure I could have read a memoir about someone with more different life experiences to my own, but here's to a year of reading broadly! 

The audiobook absolutely made this book work for me as a reader. There were so many jokes and moments that relied on anticipating the correct voice intonation in order to completely land, and it was fun hearing JVN's humor come through in the audio narration. Plus, I would have hopelessly butchered all the Russian pseudonyms in my head.

Lots of trigger warnings could be applied to this book (childhood trauma, sexual content, drug use, self harm, bullying, etc.), but I have rarely heard more accurate or compelling descriptions of addictive behaviors and the self-destructive-yet-all-consuming mental state behind them than here. This felt like an extremely honest and open account of the author's most formative life experiences, and I can't help but admire that. 

I also really appreciated learning a bit about AIDS/HIV stigma, treatments, and current positive prognoses when caught early and managed carefully. This kind of information is truly a public service to get out there in the open.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Homophobia, Drug abuse, Bullying, Chronic illness, Self harm, Addiction, Death of parent, Drug use, Cancer, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Dementia, Terminal illness, Alcoholism, Sexual content, Death, Sexual assault, and Alcohol

Minor: Eating disorder and Fatphobia

minaegg's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful sad fast-paced

4.75

Very vulnerable and heavy read with difficult subject matter. The book is still beautiful and uplifting, with some lovely humor. Jonathan shows that despite experiencing trauma and adversity, we all have the capacity to heal and thrive. Ultimately his story is about learning to love yourself and to forgive yourself, to care for yourself, to know that you matter, always. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Medical content, Homophobia, Mental illness, Blood, Eating disorder, Cursing, Fatphobia, and Grief

Moderate: Drug use, Addiction, Child abuse, and Terminal illness

asummrox's review

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Dysphoria, Death of parent, Sexual content, Death, and Eating disorder

kwestlovee's review

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Addiction, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Drug use, and Sexual violence

moodreader89's review

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Drug abuse, Addiction, Cancer, Eating disorder, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Drug use, Homophobia, and Sexual assault