Reviews tagging 'Eating disorder'

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll

69 reviews

beetdirt's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, and Murder

Moderate: Homophobia and Pedophilia

Minor: Eating disorder

sleepywhippetbookclub's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad

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

4.0

Bright Young Women follows the story of Pamela. When multiple girls are killed or injured by a serial killer, Pamela is the only person who sees him leave. The story follows her experience as witness and president of her sorority whilst the focus of a media frenzy. As the police muck up the investigation, choosing to ignore her testimony despite her credibility, the police craft their own narrative. Then Pamela meets Tina. An older woman whose girlfriend was killed by the same man.

It's not necessarily a fun read but a good book so ⭐⭐⭐⭐ from me. It can be very unsettling at times and covers a lot of the female experience of the time. I hadn't realised when reading it that it was based upon a true story. The fact that it was, makes an uneasy read even more so. The book laid everything out so there wasn't much mystery to it but perhaps that was the reason for it.

Knoll does an amazing job at keeping all the focus away from the killer which is unusual for this genre, yet exactly what is needed. I generally avoid true crime as so much of it is distasteful and disrespectful, so I'm glad that this wasn't.

It's a little disjointed at times with the jumps between different characters and timelines. It was easy to get lost whilst listening to it on audiobook so I had to switch to the ereader for parts. I found myself mixing up characters because of these jumps which was confusing.

I wouldn't read it again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Body horror, Homophobia, Rape, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Eating disorder, Medical content, and Car accident

gabi_715's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Murder

Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexual violence, and Death of parent

Minor: Eating disorder, Incest, and Dementia

noura's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Murder

Moderate: Homophobia

Minor: Eating disorder and Incest

mangofraiche's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Eating disorder, Incest, and Pandemic/Epidemic

paeten_'s review

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I love that this book never shares The Defendant's name. So often, books are written almost worshipping serial killers. Making them out to be much more intelligent, good looking, cunning, etc. than they really are while their victims are made out to be weak and unable to protect themselves. It's very refreshing to read a book that does the opposite! He's not that smart, not that handsome, and not that charismatic. He was just a bad man who made it his life purpose to hurt women and girls.

That being said, I wish the survivors and families of the victims had been given a voice, rather than fictionalized versions of them. Would be 5 stars if they had been included!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Torture and Stalking

Minor: Eating disorder, Pedophilia, and Kidnapping

ryleee's review

dark inspiring reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Eating disorder, Misogyny, Blood, Medical content, and Kidnapping

Minor: Classism

_meganrose's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Men and their fragile egos are an absolute disgrace. The actions. The inactions. The manipulation. The willingness to be manipulated. An absolute disgrace and I hope that everyone who played a role in the holes that enabled such a horrible human to do what he did live/lived the rest of their lives with a never-ending pit of shame consuming them. That, of course, would take having enough emotional intelligence and humility to recognize their mistakes. But I digress.

I respect that the author refused to use his name. Because quite frankly, it has always bothered me how he has been romanticized and portrayed in media. Only recently have I started to hear criticism on this, which means we are at least moving in the forward direction as a society (I hope).

4 stars because the perspective was refreshing, the belittlement of such a despicable human being was well overdue being warranted, and I couldn’t put it down.

That being said, it wasn’t an enjoyable reading experience so I don’t feel right giving 5 stars. This is no fault to the author. The darkness of this book was heavy and will haunt me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Incest, Sexual assault, Blood, Excrement, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Stalking, Abortion, Murder, Outing, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

sweetlilly93's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense 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

5.0

Oh, this definitely passes the Bechdel test.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Dementia, and Grief

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Violence, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Gaslighting

Minor: Body shaming, Child death, Cursing, Drug use, Eating disorder, and Car accident

cadyjean's review

challenging emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Murder