Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

True Biz by Sara Nović

33 reviews

nanduh's review against another edition

emotional funny informative inspiring sad 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

3.5

i learned sooo much from this book! as a kid i was really into ASL and this has honestly inspired to get back into it but i do have some mixed feelings. overall, i enjoyed the characters and most of the plot but it did feel a bit incomplete as there were a good amount of loose ends that i feel could’ve been tied up. some issues (no real discussion of the underage drug use and the adult/minor relationship) i felt were a bit glossed over or not treated with the same seriousness as others. i loved the historical inserts about deaf history and culture so overall i do recommend this novel to get insight to a community that has historically faced and is currently facing eradication. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, Ableism, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Death of parent, Racism, and Sexual content

Minor: Forced institutionalization

the nature of Charlie and Slash’s/Kyle’s relationship (sexual and adult/minor) is mentioned as possibly problematic once and from then on Charlie is referred to as “jailbait” by a friend of Slash. This paired with their romanticized drug usage made me very uncomfortable with their relationship, especially since Slash ends up being propped up as a kind of ally to Charlie&Austin.

quailtea's review against another edition

challenging informative mysterious sad fast-paced

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

3.5

really nicely paced, an effective walk through of Deaf culture, issues and history sort of personified into relatable characters struggling in their minds and relationships. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, and Drug use

pandact's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative 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

4.5

I haven't watched Euphoria, so I'll compare this book to Elsa Sjunnesson's memoir Being Seen. It has hard-hitting personal stories and essays, and you'll love the characters and their signing even in the audiobook version! The crash course even includes some DeafBlindness as it speeds through the checklist of banned books, so you'll definitely learn something from this!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Domestic abuse, Car accident, and Child abuse

Moderate: Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, Dementia, Death of parent, and Bullying

Minor: Rape, Toxic friendship, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Genocide, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail

risetorecede's review against another edition

dark emotional slow-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Ableism, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Drug use, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Dementia, Alcohol, Racism, Car accident, and Child abuse

marioosa517'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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Drug use, Alcohol, Medical content, Medical trauma, Ableism, Cursing, Dementia, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Child death, and Racism

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Police brutality, and Vomit

ashton_n's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative 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? It's complicated

5.0

I was hooked from the first chapter. I loved the chapters with information on Deaf Culture, the history of Anarchism, and of course our favorite girl, Charlie. 

Favorite Quote: “This is not your fault; this is the way it always has been; there is nothing any of us can do; I love you so much for trying”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, and Child abuse

Minor: Addiction, Death, Death of parent, Abandonment, Body horror, Alcohol, Dementia, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief

jialianyang's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad 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

5.0

Loved this book. A perfect mix of plot, character development and education. I loved the perspective switching, the incorporation of ASL and Deaf culture and Deaf slang. It was a perfect supplemental book to my ASL class, but it would be great standalone read as well because it is so compelling. Definitely more of a young adult book, but in a good way.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Addiction, Alcohol, Violence, Ableism, Cursing, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Adult/minor relationship, and Misogyny

analenegrace's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional medium-paced

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

4.25

As a disabled person, one of my big endeavors for 2023 is to read more disability-centered books and True Biz came highly recommended. The first few chapters were hard to get into, but once I got sucked into the story, it felt impossible to put down. 

Charlie as a character was very interesting and her family life tells an important story of Deaf experiences in the United States today. Juxtaposing her with Austin allowed me, as the reader, to see the two sides to Deaf life and the challenges of each. 

I'm not sure where I thought the book would end, but it wasn't that in a very good way. The story ramped up in a believable way, making it a very good read. 

My first criticism lies in the way Austin's ex is written; she's such a flat character, seemingly only there to make Charlie seem cooler and better. My other criticism of this is its advertisement as LGBTQIA+; while the headmistress is a lesbian, the story is only about her a little bit, and the overarching story is about Charlie and Austin, a straight couple. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Gaslighting

marissab's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative sad tense 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Ableism, Alcohol, Car accident, Dementia, Medical content, and Grief

Moderate: Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Drug use, Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Gun violence, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Police brutality, Classism, Cursing, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, and Bullying

mefrias's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Child abuse, and Ableism