Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat

16 reviews

hellichipmunk's review

challenging emotional reflective tense slow-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Biphobia, Addiction, Colonisation, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Sexism, Body shaming, Homophobia, Alcohol, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Genocide, Grief, Islamophobia, and Lesbophobia

hstcrow's review

emotional tense medium-paced

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

2.5

I understand the main character’s central story is about her complicated relationships and many of them, but I felt we were really jumping around a lot between her love interests, especially towards the end, and it felt unrealistic and unnecessarily confusing. The best parts were her learning about her past trauma, her relationships with her family members and cultural history, but those were focussed on the least. Felt a bit unfinished in a few ways. Her dad is mentioned a lot, but honestly we don’t really know anything about him, and he sporadically comes into the story only to have that plot point dropped and then never explained. Maybe that’s meant to be reflective of her actual relationship with her dad, but it felt incomplete as a book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Body shaming, Child abuse, Homophobia, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Eating disorder

noahsingh's review

reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

Interesting but couldn't hack the sheer amount of annoying men the main character was attached/attracted to.
The main interesting aspects to me (Palestinian heritage + relationship with their mother + the instances of Islamophobia/ acism & Zionism she faces) had very little space in the book.

Also I do think her outing that woman was unforgivable and I Hate Hate Hated that that (trigger warning) literal rapist white guy at The Lodge is, if anything, forgiven/absolved by the narrative. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, War, Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Islamophobia, Colonisation, Confinement, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Racism, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Rape, Emotional abuse, Outing, Pedophilia, Addiction, Self harm, Sexual violence, Colonisation, Drug abuse, and Sexual assault

Minor: Fatphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Biphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, and Rape

radiant_radish's review

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Islamophobia, Eating disorder, Sexism, Rape, Toxic relationship, Racism, Biphobia, Body shaming, Misogyny, Outing, and Homophobia

sophiesmallhands's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Addiction, Toxic relationship, and Eating disorder

Moderate: Police brutality, Alcoholism, Sexism, Sexual content, and Alcohol

Minor: Body shaming, Drug use, Gun violence, Islamophobia, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Suicide, War, Bullying, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, and Racism

readingwithkaitlyn's review

emotional reflective fast-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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, and Child abuse

Moderate: Racism, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Outing, Abandonment, Misogyny, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Addiction, and Grief

Minor: Pregnancy, Body shaming, Alcohol, Colonisation, Genocide, Drug abuse, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Blood, Classism, Xenophobia, War, Religious bigotry, and Police brutality

DUI.

lady_valhella's review

emotional sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

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

Minor: War, Body shaming, and Child abuse

sakisreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

This was a very hard read, because the main character (who I feel is unnamed?) is SO FLAWED. She obviously has trauma from so many different aspects of her life (although mostly from her mum 🫠) but has turned them into this intense need for love and validation. 

Even after coming out of love addiction rehab, she has a tumultuous relationship with Matias and it threw me off! I wanted it all to be okay for her, despite all the fuck ups she’d had with Anna 🥲

If you want a protagonist who is very human and has a very messy life, this one is for you.

I am so glad she ends up with Anouk though, that’s a healing I know I wanted for her ✨

Definitely recommending 🏳️‍🌈

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Homophobia, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, and Eating disorder

mirireads's review against another edition

challenging reflective 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Biphobia

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Infidelity, Addiction, Violence, Sexual content, Body shaming, Eating disorder, and Mental illness

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Death, and Drug abuse

annalu's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Homophobia, and Biphobia