Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

In Every Mirror She's Black by Lọlá Ákínmádé Åkerström

24 reviews

vvsmydiamonds's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective fast-paced

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

2.5

I read nearly 400 pages in hopes of a satisfactory ending for each of the hopeful protagonists— I was disappointed. As always, I wanted to love this book but it appears it wasn’t made for me. 
Also, I strongly dislike the untranslated Swedish conversations, specifically those between Jonny’s family. How are you gonna publish a book in English and not make it a point to translate arguments between secondary characters? I had to pull out a pencil, paper, and good ol’ google translate multiple times. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, and Grief

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Sexual content, Islamophobia, Sexual harassment, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Suicide attempt, Infertility, Abortion, Terminal illness, and Pregnancy

mikaclapson's review

challenging emotional reflective sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexism, Racism, Sexual content, and Classism

Moderate: Sexual assault and Toxic relationship

abigalelouise12's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Racism, Body shaming, Suicide, and Classism

Minor: Abortion

readbycarina's review

challenging tense 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Suicide, Racism, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexism, and Sexual content

Moderate: Gaslighting, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual assault

Minor: Death, Child death, and Body shaming

pageturnervic's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, and Racism

Moderate: Toxic relationship

crankylibrarian's review

emotional reflective tense medium-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

3.75

3 African and African American women struggle to find a place for themselves in the insular homogenous culture of Sweden. Calls into question the idealized Nordic paradise: the “happiest place in the world”  may not be so happy for those of darker hue.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Pregnancy, Racism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, and Islamophobia

shedasortareads's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Islamophobia and Death

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Racism, Terminal illness, and Suicide

fenemiestolovers's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Whew…what a gut-wrenching picture of what it can mean to be a Black woman today. The characters are imperfect and human and just trying to do the best they can with what they know and what they have. I definitely understand it wouldn’t be for everyone and I can’t speak to the accuracy or quality of representation. And yet, I won’t forget this one anytime soon.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Suicide, Xenophobia, Classism, Death, Racism, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Alcohol, Deportation, Infertility, Trafficking, Islamophobia, Miscarriage, Rape, Blood, Child death, Violence, Sexism, Sexual content, Ableism, Infidelity, Murder, Pregnancy, Stalking, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, War, and Abortion

peachani's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Sexism, Suicide, and Racism

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Ableism, Stalking, Suicide, Toxic relationship, War, Classism, Death, Grief, Pregnancy, and Xenophobia

Minor: Islamophobia, Medical content, Vomit, Sexual harassment, Abortion, Alcohol, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Infertility, Trafficking, Violence, Hate crime, Murder, and Sexual assault

jasminealizae's review against another edition

challenging tense slow-paced

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

1.0

I wanted to like this book so badly. With less than 10% of the book left I had no clue what the purpose or plot of this story was, and upon finishing I am still just as confused. This story was so extremely slow and dull. The characters made such poor decisions at every opportunity they could and it made them unlikable for me. The idea of these women all being tied to one man was very loose and the believability was just as flimsy. I completely understand what the author was trying to accomplish, but she unfortunately fell extremely far from that goal. The ending really negates the entire story and made the read feel pointless. The audio version was perfect to hear the accents and languages the characters spoke, and to be able to correctly hear the pronunciation of names for the places and people, but the narrator who spoke for both Kemi and Brittany often confused their established accents. Also was strange how Brittany was made to have a very stereotypical unrealistic American country accent and was off putting. I also couldn’t tell if all the Swedish characters were just unnaturally slow speakers or if the narrator was struggling using the accent so her words had extremely long pauses between them and everything was drawn out. This book was all over the place in a bad way and truly felt like it had no real direction and that the author had no actual vision for the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Body shaming, Cancer, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Racism, Abortion, Grief, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Cultural appropriation, Death, Pregnancy, Stalking, Suicide, and Toxic relationship