Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

Perfect Little Monsters by Cindy R.X. He

3 reviews

sahoek's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Ableism, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

grunkle's review

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

5.0

He’s debut is everything you could dream; shocking, thrilling, and at times downright stomach-churning. This novel puts the importance of “anti-bullying” initiatives into an extreme but very emotionally real context. Can’t wait to see what He cooks up next.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Body shaming, Death, Self harm, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Murder, and Bullying

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis and Eating disorder

Minor: Ableism and Adult/minor relationship

bookishmillennial's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial

Wow, this book was fucked up! We are given two rotating perspectives (third person POV of Hannah - flashbacks & present-day first-person POV of Dawn Foster). Hannah endured bullying because of her weight when she tried out for the cheerleading squad by Ella, Naomi, and Lucy - a popular girls' clique reminiscent of Mean Girls. Dawn transfers schools in her senior year of high school, and ends up living with her Aunt Maddy, then running into Ella, Naomi, and Lucy too. She makes a new friend Raquel, who is autistic and also bullied by the three popular girls.

The day after a party at Ella's house, Ella is found dead by her boyfriend, and then Dawn is immediately a suspect as the "new girl". Dawn and Raquel begin their own investigation to see who had a motive to kill Ella, and the friend group's secrets begin to unravel.

I feel uncomfortable that this, like many other psychological thrillers, posit mental illness as this evil, uncontrollable, villainous part of you? Was I a bit surprised at the twists? Sure, absolutely, and I recognize it made for an enticing story. I just wonder if the mental health representation (beyond the autistic rep) could have been navigated a bit differently. 

Overall, I think Cindy RX He knows how to write a compelling, engaging story, and I will read more of Cindy's work in the future. I read this in one sitting, so it definitely kept me at the edge of my seat and I was absolutely entertained, but I still am a bit exhausted by this trope of "the bad guy was mentally ill!" that is often used in this genre. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Murder, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Body shaming, Ableism, Car accident, Lesbophobia, Infidelity, Alcohol, Medical trauma, and Fatphobia

Moderate: Suicide attempt and Adult/minor relationship