Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin

56 reviews

finnthehuman217's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Sigrid’s story being told from the perspective of her sister is so well done! I love the world the book creates by telling us “here’s a suicide note” and thinking that we’re reading a collection of suicide notes because of the “Attempt Number so-and-so” chapter titles. This book is very imaginative and is really about healing from childhood trauma and sisters who never saw eye to eye finding a way back to each other. Such a beautiful story!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, and Suicide attempt

mmecade's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Suicide, Grief, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, and Domestic abuse

sare1125's review

dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Sexism and Transphobia

kalea_reads's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, and Suicide attempt

othersimmons's review

dark reflective medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse and Suicide attempt

Minor: Domestic abuse

littlelizzieborden's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, and Vomit

edamamebean's review

dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

Emily Austin just never misses. This is such a good one, but has some darker themes from her other books. I recommend reading the trigger warnings. Also maybe skip this one if you’re not a fan of the unreliable narrator trope. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Lesbophobia

kittysgotsoul's review

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Sexual assault

Minor: Addiction, Death, Homophobia, Transphobia, and Lesbophobia

khackett411's review

dark emotional funny sad slow-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Addiction and Domestic abuse

gh0stbird's review

challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

Really fantastic novel by Emily Austin. Her best yet imo. Very emotionally heavy though. I cried throughout significant portions of this book. It felt like a very cathartic read. The characters are very relatable in a way that I think many people need to hear. 

That said, I do think the book was significantly lacking in character development. There was a small bit of character growth, but I really think Austin could have significantly trimmed the backstory-building first section of the book and (spoiler ahead)

spent a lot more time developing and building a new relationship between Sigrid and Magrit after Sigrid's suicide attempt. There is the slightest hint of this progress at the very end of the book, but I think this novel really needed much more of that.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Homophobia, Transphobia, Police brutality, and Lesbophobia