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thesupermassive's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Violence, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Cannibalism, and Gun violence
philippmk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Body horror, Homophobia, Confinement, Death, Gaslighting, Violence, Car accident, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, and Gore
rhaydragon's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Car accident, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Violence, Religious bigotry, Ableism, Child death, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Murder, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Stalking, Sexism, Ableism, Animal death, and Outing
Minor: Domestic abuse
discarded_dust_jacket's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Having been raised Evangelical, this hit particularly close to home, especially in the way that it depicts the type of psychological conditioning and manipulation employed by the Church as a means of control.
For instance, the genuine fear and distrust of one’s own thoughts and natural impulses; the constant sense of being surveilled by some unseen entity, be it God or Satan (who is always on the prowl for an opening to possess your soul); the looming threat of eternal damnation; the discouragement of curiosity for the sake of remaining ignorant and dependent on faith; etc.
This book does such a good job of portraying the slow, unsettling experience of beginning to notice how the things around you—that you’ve accepted as normal your entire life—suddenly seem wrong, ridiculous, or at worst, downright sinister. It also addresses the various ways someone who grew up in the church, then left it, might grapple with a) their relationship with God/faith, and b) their guilt over their involvement with the Church at all. (It reminds me of that “I’m sorry for the things I said as an Evangelical teenager” photo that went viral.)
Most importantly, this is a book about regaining one’s autonomy and sense of self. I LOVED that about it.
But while I enjoy stories that hold up a mirror to my own trauma because I find them validating, I also recognize that this book depicts a horror that some people have actually lived: conversion therapy camp. So I understand if that’s just too much for some folks.
Graphic: Body horror, Car accident, Death, Homophobia, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Drug use, and Gun violence
Minor: Alcohol, Confinement, and Kidnapping
chrobin's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Torture, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Religious bigotry, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Kidnapping, Lesbophobia, Self harm, Bullying, Car accident, Confinement, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Violence, and Vomit
willthebean's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Death, Gun violence, and Homophobia
thundrflap's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Gun violence, Death, Car accident, Body horror, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Confinement
shayh's review against another edition
4.75
I loved this ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
Moderate: Body horror, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Gun violence
Minor: Car accident
justmehayleyb's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Car accident, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Blood, Gaslighting, Violence, Vomit, Body horror, Outing, Torture, Mental illness, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Medical content, and Murder
dealingwithdragons's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Outing, Child death, Religious bigotry, Violence, Murder, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Medical content, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Car accident, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Blood, Child abuse, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Ableism and Abandonment