Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha

32 reviews

adriaxlife's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Violence, Bullying, Alcoholism, Sexual content, Physical abuse, and Child abuse

parton4proletariat's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really liked this book! It was hard to remember who was who sometimes since its a large ensemble, but the characters were unique and had distinct voices. I particularly liked Ara and Miho, and I liked how complex Kyuri was. 

my biggest critique of multi-perspective books is that it tends to make it difficult to connect with the characters. I did not have that issue with this book. I found myself caring about all of them.  

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Suicide, Alcohol, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Classism, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Miscarriage

ankitapok's review against another edition

dark hopeful 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

4.0

Interesting read. The more I learn about it the more the South Korean beauty standards scares me. Hopefully these are exaggerated and it is not as bad in real life.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Emotional abuse, and Body shaming

mschwa1118's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense 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

4.25

If I Had Your Face was a lovely novel written from multiple perspectives of a few interconnected South Korean twenty-something women. It had strong themes regarding beauty standards, treatment of women, and family issues, among other, that taught me quite a lot. Each character was so different, but they all complemented each other so poetically in the grand scheme. My only wish is that it was a little longer! I look forward to Frances Cha releasing her next novel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence

helliepad's review against another edition

emotional 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

The story is so short but it's like buying an assortment of donuts in one donut box. You get to enjoy all of them even if you wanted more. I am also very fond of the theme that it's women looking out for other women in this world. We have each other's faces, etc.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Abandonment, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, and Pregnancy

Minor: Classism, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, and Grief

outersgrace's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Body shaming, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Classism, Fatphobia, Medical content, Pregnancy, Sexism, Alcoholism, Bullying, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Miscarriage, and Misogyny

Minor: Sexual content, Abortion, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Medical trauma, and Death

luluzza's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Eating disorder, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Sexual content

julseygirl's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

This book is unlike anything I've ever read. Nothing happens, but I was on the edge of my seat and thoroughly enjoyed it the whole way through. The characters have all gone through various intense traumas and they just cope and get through day to day life. They way that they interact with each other and with the culture around them is heart-pounding in the worst ways. I want so much for them and their futures. But I also kind of like how I'll never know.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Violence, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Miscarriage

Moderate: Suicide, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Vomit

himangi's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative sad tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Ableism, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexism

korio's review against another edition

challenging reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

4.5 stars. My feelings changed about this one several times while I was reading it. I never didn't like it, I just jumped back and forth between and three and a five repeatedly. It's multi-POV, and at first I thought my feelings were changing based on whose POV I was reading, meaning that I'd have a better idea of my overall feelings once I finished the book, but around the 200 page mark, I realized it wasn't EXACTLY that. Sort of that, but not quite.

None of the woman featured in the book is a particularly likable character, but not unlikable, either - they're all very real and relatable, but also unrelatable. That makes no sense as a sentence, but they all take their turns jumping between "I am this woman" and "I know this woman." When I was reading each woman's POV, if she wasn't echoing thoughts and experiences I felt like I've had myself, then I felt like I could say, ah, well, at least I can say I've met someone like this, or I've seen someone go through this, and none of it stretched the bounds of credulity at all. All the women were living what felt like real, average, everyday lives of women - the book is essentially plotless - but at the same time, it never felt boring or basic or I know all this, skip it.

The reason I think I jumped back and forth with how I felt about it so much was because a couple of the women I found most interesting in the first half of the book were held far back and seemed deliberately kept at arm's length - Ara and Wonna - and I wished to get a lot more from them, while we were getting quite a lot from Kyuri and Miho, who were not exactly BORING, but felt much more... I don't know, it seems almost UNKIND to say common, shallow, or basic. My feelings about both of those things definitely changed in the last third, though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria, and Body shaming