Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Impulse by Ellen Hopkins

8 reviews

let_therebebooks's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

“Life is all about change. If it were static, think about how boring it would be. You can’t be afraid of it, and you can’t worry that you’ll mess things up. You deserve good things.” 

Wow this book was intense. I had to put it down a few times because of the content that it’s focused on. This book follows three characters who are in a psychiatric hospital after they all attempted suicide. As the book goes on, we see their treatment and learn more about their past traumas, and there is every possible horrible thing that could happen, happening to these characters. 

This book is told in verse so it makes it pretty quick to get through. I always found the verse format to be more powerful, especially if we are discussing topics like this. 

It’s a good but dark book. I will absolutely be picking up the sequel but I caution everyone to look into the many trigger warnings for this book before diving in. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicide, Sexual assault, and Self harm

Moderate: Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Emotional abuse

erinwolf1997's review

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Self harm, Suicide, and Mental illness

Moderate: Pedophilia, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Abortion, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Medical content

Minor: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Islamophobia, and Terminal illness

brunoshort's review

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

Of all the Ellen Hopkins books I’ve read, this one affected me the least. I saw the ending coming so it wasn’t a surprise. The characters have similar traumas even though they’re from very different backgrounds and families. Only three of the characters have their stories fully told and I really only liked 1 of them. The other two were okay but pretty flat considering the intensity of the subject matter and their backgrounds. The biggest WTF? The final challenge patients go through to get out of the institution. It wasn’t thought out very well considering their demographic. I’ll just leave it at that. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Self harm, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Trafficking, Child abuse, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Incest, Physical abuse, and Rape

Minor: Murder and Vomit

urmom456's review

dark slow-paced

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

The characters in this book are the products of their mental illnesses and trauma. They have no personalities, their personalities are their disorder/truama.

The one gay character is “fixed” by “turning straight” which I find disgusting. And as my review on Goodreads says, this is basically ‘If You Give a Mouse a Cookie’ but instead it’s ‘If You Put a Suicidal Teenager on Top of a Cliff’.

Absolutely hated it, there was hardly any actual plot. No wonder it took me 4 years to even finish it.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Sexual violence, Self harm, Mental illness, Drug use, and Drug abuse

Minor: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Incest, Death of parent, Blood, Death, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Homophobia, and Toxic relationship

tristaod14's review

emotional 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide

Moderate: Ableism, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Drug abuse, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Minor: Abortion

wama's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Abandonment, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Homophobia

Minor: Abortion, Alcohol, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

The romance subplot felt forced and unnecessary to me but other than that it was a good book. The ending left me shattered

brookey8888's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

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

5.0

4.5
This book is honestly really depressing, but important. Check content warnings because this is dark and it talks about a lot of things. I changed it from a full five to a 4.4 because I felt like some of the things said were a little problematic. For example a character said the only thing that could save her was being in love and as this is YA I just am not fully comfortable with that. Other then a few some things it still holds up and I love that it’s written in verse. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Abortion, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship

shakiral's review against another edition

"I do trust Tony. But why? A gay guy, from the wrong side of town, who I only met a few weeks ago?"
A guy who thinks he's gay realizing he's straight in a mental institution and falling for this bitch, no thanks.  I've read worse, but I just don't like it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Antisemitism, Biphobia, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship

First time I go "This book was writen by a white straight woman" and what do you know a I was right.