Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Follow the River by CE Ricci

3 reviews

madscientistcat's review

challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

4.0

Trigger warnings should be up front in this book. It’s not appropriate to hide them because of “spoilers” especially when they have the magnitude, gravity, and explicitness that these scenes have in here. I don’t read or care personally about CWs for myself, but I know it’s important to many people to include them, and their absence here is unnecessary and, frankly, appalling.

I’m torn on rating the book because of the thoughtlessness of the CW situation, but I decided to rate it as just the contents of the story and settle for leaving appropriate CWs on here and the mini-rant above.

This book ripped my heart right out. Devastating and emotional, full of pain and angst but also discovery and joy. Be prepared to read both books of this duology together as this book ends on a cliffhanger with no HEA/HFN. The next book does pick up right from the scene at the end. The writing is a little odd at times, and learning this was the author’s debut makes that make sense. The vibes are perfect though. For this book. The next one…. well. It’s *weird.* I’ll deal with that later though…

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Violence, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Blood, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Abandonment, Bullying, Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Rape, Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Drug use

queen21's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Drug use, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Biphobia, Child abuse, Mental illness, Death, Bullying, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Mental illness, Rape, Sexual harassment, Child death, Blood, and Homophobia

Minor: Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Rape, and Drug use

tankytoon's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

5.0

What an emotional roller-coaster! This book is not your usual enemies-to-lovers romance as it is packed with so much pain and revelation that you can help but feel for the characters.

The sizzling chemistry between Rain and River is palpable from the get-go but one of them is fighting it, so much it turned into physical aggression that their Football coach had to intervene and send them both to a month's worth exile in order to bond. And bond they did.

There's so much heat, passion, hatred, submission, suffering, affection, confusing feelings to be unpacked by both Rain and River that it's a wonder if they will ever survive being together or being without.

This book has so much angst to get through that can leave the reader emotionally exhausted or overwhelmed, especially if one is sensitive to trigger content. But it's such a beautiful and heart-rending story that, if one can get past some of the traumatic passages, this book will give you a realistic narrative about how broken people can survive so much hate, and still manage to live through it. Or do they?

Author does not want to specify triggers but I do think it's warranted as I wasn't prepared for what I read and in some ways it's good, but it was difficult even for me who has read other deeply jarring books.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Rape, Sexual content, Homophobia, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Biphobia, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Drug use, Vomit, Drug abuse, Death, and Panic attacks/disorders