Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Breathe and Count Back from Ten by Natalia Sylvester

10 reviews

readingwithtemperance's review against another edition

emotional informative 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

4.0

As someone born and raised in Florida I really enjoyed this book! All of the references, Florida Man jokes, mermaids, and manatees made me so happy.

This book covered a wide range of topics such as: disability (hip dysplasia), bodily autonomy, and immigration. I think the author handled each of these with so much care. I actually learned so much about hip dysplasia!

There were a few things about this book that I hated. Those things being the copious amounts of ableism and slut shaming. People really need to mind their own business. 

The author challenged both of these when they came up though which I thoroughly appreciated! 

I thought that the Mermaid Cove aspect was so cool! I loved hearing about the performances and all of the training it takes to be a mermaid.

Verónica and her sister had such a realistic dynamic. I loved their bickering and the way they kept secrets for eachother. Strict parents create sneaky kids! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, and Medical content

Moderate: Mental illness, Sexism, and Sexual assault

Minor: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcohol

metaphorsandmisc's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism and Medical content

Moderate: Body shaming, Mental illness, and Sexual assault

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Alcohol

zombiezami's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Biphobia, Death, Racism, Sexual content, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, and War

internationalreads's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Sexual assault, Alcohol, and Classism

Moderate: Mental illness and Sexual content

chasingpages1's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Mental illness, and Medical content

Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Minor: Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, and Alcohol

piecesofamber's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical content

Minor: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

emily_mh's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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

4.0

I have never highlighted a book like I have this one! The disability rep here spoke to me on another level. The story perfectly captured the relationship I have to my body; the disconnect, and how simultaneously my body is hugely familiar AND unfamiliar to me. I also appreciated how the book showed that ableism comes in part from disabled people “making” abled people uncomfortable, as we are “uncomfortable” reminders that humans are not meant to be “perfect”, are not designed to be, and that ALL bodies have needs. Furthermore, I loved how the story poked holes in how abled people want to “fix” us. This quote in particular spoke to that: 

“And why should it matter, anyway, when so many things in nature - rivers and trees and shorelines and mountains - are free to be imperfect? No one calls a flower chueca as it bends its way toward the sky.” 

There’s so much more glowing praise I could lavish on the disability rep here! It was so spot on, and I’ll be looking at the annotations I’ve made for years to come. 

The key theme of the book is bodily autonomy, and how Verónica is trying to find and assert this as a disabled immigrant Latina girl. Each of her intersecting identities impact this challenge, and it is in her search that she develops so much as a character. I really loved this part of the story. 

I also really liked the summery feel this novel had. It is brought out by the pools and sunbathing, sunshine and, of course, mermaids. We got so much detail regarding how being a mermaid performer works and I loved it! It gave me a whole new appreciation for that profession. 

I did struggle with two things. The first is the romance between Verónica and Alex. I didn’t get their chemistry, especially as everything within their relationship seemed to move so quickly. On top of this, I just don’t think having a romance was necessary for this book. The same themes could have been explored without it, and it took time and space away from the development of these themes. The second thing I didn’t like was that Sylvester never really properly addressed Verónica’s belief that her younger sister Dani didn’t have problems, or that the ones that she did have were insignificant. I didn’t like this invalidation of Dani’s experience especially as, aside from being disabled, she would have been going through similar struggles to Verónica. I will say that I DID appreciate how Sylvester handled the glass-child narrative within this relationship, though! 

Rep: Peruvian-American MC with hip dysplasia, Mexican-American LI with depression, Peruvian-American SCs, sapphic SC, Black sapphic SC, Japanese-American SC, Native American genderqueer SC

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault

Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Cursing, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, and Medical content

Minor: Child death, Death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

NB: the graphic warning for sexual assault is not because the sexual assault occurs graphically on page, but because it is a prominent theme throughout the book. Minor: suicidal ideation, heternormativity, cisnormativity

chronicacademia's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective tense fast-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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual assault, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Alcohol

caseythereader's review

emotional funny hopeful reflective fast-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

4.25

Thanks to Books Forward PR for the free copy of this book.

 - BREATHE AND COUNT BACK FROM TEN is a gorgeous book. It tackles so many topics, from immigration to ableism, and never feels overstuffed.
- This book really digs in to how disabled people are often treated as if they are not the experts on their own bodies. Verónica spends so much time telling adults what she is capable of, and they continue to try to make decisions about her body without her. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Medical content, and Alcohol

Moderate: Mental illness, Racism, and Sexual assault

imstephtacular's review

emotional hopeful 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcohol