Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Boy Parts by Eliza Clark

274 reviews

keraturner20's review

dark funny 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, and Eating disorder

Moderate: Self harm, Religious bigotry, Addiction, and Fatphobia

Phenomenal book, but the ending forced me not to give a 5 star.

jil_m's review

dark mysterious sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Eating disorder, Alcohol, Rape, Body horror, Sexual content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Sexual violence, and Vomit

sofiaboebia's review

challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

this book was intense with a lighthearted “nothing matters” tone, in the creepiest way. The last chapter sums this up completely and is a stunning ending to such a gripping book. It almost feels stereotypical but not, it feels like it relies on shock but it doesn’t, it’s well written but almost not. The last line leaves you mouth open, but not particularly shocking. The book follows a deeply attractive woman’s sabbatical from a bar job she was forced to take. excessive drug use, mania, and clearly phycopathic behaviors leave her recollection of the story questionable and unreliable. The first 200 pages are a slow build of a clearly messed up woman living here life as a photographer and partying but the last 100 pages take a dark and gorey turn. This book follows her vengefulness and almost rage, and as awful as she is, she is an compelling and (for some of it) almost forgivable main character(this obviously has to do with her narration as well). This book is almost entirely character driven, nothing “just happens” to her except for the reason she is on a sabbatical in the first place. Although it is plot driven there is no positive character development to speak of, throughout the book she looks through her archives of photos and reflects, but clearly she has been a similar person for a long time and will continue to be.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Vomit, Self harm, Alcohol, Torture, Sexual violence, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Gore, Rape, Addiction, Body horror, Drug use, and Sexual assault

bella_cavicchi's review

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I found this compulsively readable and incredibly dark.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Rape, Child death, Self harm, Medical content, Violence, Vomit, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Murder, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Grief, Excrement, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death, Body shaming, Blood, and Animal death

robbie_d94's review against another edition

dark funny medium-paced

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

3.75

I'm quite a tough reviewer with 3.75 being categorised as "Excellent" in my review matrix. I found this book extremely funny while being equally disturbing as the main character becomes increasly disassociated through the book. Would recommend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual assault, Death, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse

Minor: Vomit

kibiiiariii's review against another edition

dark emotional funny relaxing sad tense medium-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

4.25

Took off 0.25 cus she killed the kitty

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Self harm, Violence, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Homophobia, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Ableism, Acephobia/Arophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Biphobia, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gore, Lesbophobia, Pedophilia, Transphobia, Grief, Rape, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and Vomit

mariball's review against another edition

challenging dark funny tense 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

5.0

Irina Sturges, a character that really personifies “female rage“ and more. I hate her for the things she’s done-

murder (both human and animal), spiteful cruelty to her friends and acquaintances, exploitation in the name of art

- yet also pity her because of the horrible circumstances she endured as she grew up. Clark’s prose is so strong, assured, and darkly humorous that you feel like you’re in the novel, watching Irina descend into unfathomable darkness again and again, at some points holding your breath in shock, fear, and disgust. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Drug use, Blood, Body horror, Eating disorder, and Sexual content

alex_reads's review

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Drug abuse, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Addiction, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Blood, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Sexual content, Torture, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, and Vomit

_tabby_'s review

dark emotional funny tense fast-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

5.0

I loved this book
I bought it in 2021 but I only recently had the time to get round to reading it and wow I've been missing out. I originally picked it up because I saw a review where someone had called it "the female American psycho" and at first I was very confused why it was given that title because the only thing they had in common was nudity BUT THEN OMG I UNDERSTOOD WHY THEY COMPARED THE TWO
The unreliable narrator and her unreliable (maybe fake) memories? Delicious
Clark does an excellent job ramping up the danger throughout the book and hiding secrets from us before revealing them in due time
There were quite a few twists in this book that I did not expect at all and my jaw was dropped and I audibly gasped a considerable amount of times
While the writing isn't difficult or complex and it's quite an easy read, Clark still manages to create several layers to a story that is deceptively simple at the beginning.
This book has heavily inspired me which is why I gave it such a high rating.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Cursing, Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Alcohol, Addiction, Body horror, Drug use, Gore, Murder, Sexual content, and Vomit

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Animal death, and Rape

Minor: Body shaming, Eating disorder, and Cancer

plxtoprojector's review

medium-paced

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

4.0

The pop culture references were terrible. Aside from that, this book was insane and beautiful- the way her narration progressively becomes more and more self-centered and cold really shows just how unreliable her point of view is. As I worked through the book it went from "oh she's a little strange" to "she should get some help" to "what the Fuck." Loved the characterization and exploration of gender and sexuality, especially the application of toxic "masculine" traits to a woman, who's then able to use her power to manipulate men. Photography as her medium also really adds to the power discrepancy between her and her models for reasons I don't fully know how to articulate because it's very late while I write this. 
Really disliked the way her eating disorder was approached. If you're not going to delve into something as complex as an ED beyond stereotypical, surface level definitions, don't write it at all. I think a lot of the insufferable writing choices are just that- insufferable, but they also are very appropriate for the protagonist.
I have so many thoughts I don't know how to explain- will definitely read again and annotate. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Adult/minor relationship, and Self harm

Minor: Sexual assault and Eating disorder