Reviews tagging 'Fatphobia'

The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth

6 reviews

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

This was very engaging, and I was curious about the portrayal of autism or at least someone being very sensitive to sensory things. I would read this author again - I thought the format was very interesting. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Infertility, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Alcohol, Abandonment, Confinement, Fatphobia, Sexual assault, Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Alcoholism, and Grief

Minor: Abortion

Huge, huge content warning about pregnancy

thatonecatmom's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Body shaming, Child death, Child abuse, and Death

Moderate: Death of parent

ebonyrose's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• 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

3.75

This was a really solid slow-burn suspense novel. I think Sally Hepworth did a good job developing believable and interesting characters, while still encouraging the reader to wonder "who really are these people?" While I found the ending to be a little quieter than I expected for a thriller, I overall really enjoyed this one and would definitely read more from the author in the future. Good way to start 2022!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Murder, Medical content, Kidnapping, Infertility, Fatphobia, Death of parent, Chronic illness, and Body shaming

reading_ladies_blog's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Infertility, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Child death, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

Unreliable narrator

danadoesbooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, NetGalley, and the author for the gifted copy of this book.  All opinions in this review are my own.

Fern and Rose are as close as twin sisters can be.  They have dinner together multiple times a week and Rose always rescues Fern.  It all started that one night at the river.  Rose protected her sister then and she knows she has to keep an eye on Fern now because she's dangerous.  When Rose learns that she can't get pregnant, Fern decides that she will get pregnant instead. This will be a way to pay Rose back for all she has done.

I loved The Mother-In-Law by the same author when I read it a few years ago so I was excited to read The Good Sister.  Honestly, between the child abuse and the ableism, I was ready to DNF this book at 20%.  

I am actually really glad I didn't.  While parts of The Good Sister are incredibly difficult to read, the romance that blooms between Fern and Wally is so sweet.  While this is a thriller, I found myself reading more for the romance than finding out what was actually happening!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship

plantbasedbride's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

 The Good Sister is an exciting page-turner with an eerie vibe. While a bit predictable, the novel is well written with excellent character development - especially when it comes to our protagonist, Fern, who lives with a sensory processing disorder and works as a librarian. Fern is one of the most complex, engaging, and loveable protagonists I've read about in recent years, and I loved spending this book with her.

I don't want to share too much and risk spoiling this twisty, stay-up-all-night-frantically-turning-pages thriller, so I'll end by saying, simply, pick this one up if you're in the mood for a dark mystery that is also, somehow, incredibly endearing!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, Death, and Sexual assault