Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

Betty: The International Bestseller by Tiffany McDaniel

55 reviews

k8ofhearts's review against another edition

sad medium-paced

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

1.5

Very Trauma Porn-y

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Death, Incest, Medical content, Pedophilia, Classism, Drug use, Racism, Self harm, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Body horror, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Bullying, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Gore, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Violence, Abortion, Gun violence, and Murder

meowkeyes's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Incest, Racism, Animal death, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Bullying, Child death, Suicide attempt, Violence, Sexual content, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Rape, Death, Racial slurs, and Abortion

callie_pearce's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Medical content, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Gore, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Infertility, Mental illness, Rape, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Infidelity, Fatphobia, Incest, Addiction, Classism, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Abortion, Body horror, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Violence, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Drug use, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Hate crime, and Lesbophobia

theladyjess's review against another edition

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Rape, Incest, Animal death, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Pedophilia, and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Abortion and Child death

ash_mack's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-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

1.0

I read this based off a BookTok recommendation and hated it. I should've read content warnings or something, but I continue to hate reading about rape. Throughout the book it just made me feel sad, angry, and upset, and just kept going. There's a slightly hopeful note at the end with the narrator but I don't think the fantastical stories shared throughout the book make up for all the rest of the depressing storyline. I don't want to ever think of this book again and the only reason I finished is to see if it got any better. Nope.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Murder, Rape, Forced institutionalization, Racism, Pregnancy, Medical content, Incest, Xenophobia, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Pedophilia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Homophobia, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, and Drug use

lgiery's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

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

2.5

"Betty" draws from the author's mother's childhood, blurring the lines between biography and fiction. Despite this, I found many scenes unbelievable. The characters were flat and lacked depth, and I missed their complexity. 

Additionally, some scenes of abuse, violence, racism, and sexism seemed unnecessary and insensitively executed. There is also so much cruelty packed into this book with very little human complexity. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Suicide attempt, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Rape, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Incest

Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Homophobia

stellahadz's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad medium-paced

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

5.0

I can't start this review without saying that Tiffany McDaniel is an immensely talented writer. You can tell that she really put her heart into writing this book, which is based on her own mother's early life. The prose is beautiful and lyrical, contrasting deeply with the heartbreaking story. This is an unforgettable book. Every character feels so real, and every event in the story of their lives makes the reader feel real anger, sadness, and joy right along with them. 

This is easily one of the best books I've read this year, and I can see it becoming an American classic. I highly recommend it, but I also suggest reading the trigger warnings beforehand, since it contains *many* emotionally heavy topics. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death of parent, Misogyny, Racism, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Abortion, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Classism, Homophobia, and Religious bigotry

andrearenee42's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad slow-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? It's complicated

4.25

Beautiful love story to family with beautiful writing, but read the content warnings 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Animal death, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Murder, Violence, Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Abortion, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Rape, Suicide, Animal cruelty, Hate crime, Incest, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

very graphic depiction of animal torture, specifically kittens

strawberry_seagull's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

This book is written beautifully. It is a fairly simple read, yet it is still chock-full of story and metaphors. My only hesitation with recommending this book to others is the amount of content warnings (which I will list). There are a LOT of different triggering scenes that are extremely graphic. However, despite the high intensity of the novel, I did thoroughly enjoy it. The characters are lovable and the stories they tell can resonate with anyone, even if someone hasn’t experienced the same issues the Carpenters have. My personal favorite dynamic was between Landon and Betty because I was able to see my dad and I in their father-daughter relationship.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Suicide attempt, Animal cruelty, Rape, Child death, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Abortion, Bullying, Blood, Alcohol, Child abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Incest, and Drug abuse

Minor: Violence, Pregnancy, and Homophobia

mountainfawn's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense 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? No

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Grief, Rape, Abandonment, Child death, Incest, Death, Bullying, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Murder, Colonisation, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Racism, and Racial slurs