Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Heart Berries: A Memoir by Terese Marie Mailhot

51 reviews

holasoyrohan's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective fast-paced

3.5

It's hard to adequately rate memoirs because they're so personal and can be unique in what a memoir means to the writer, and this was no exception. I took in Heart Berries via audiobook and unfortunately I find that specific narrator to just not do the books justice that they read. I also struggled a lot with the perspective as the reader being that of a toxic ex for most of the book, had to really make myself push through that aspect and finish the book. I'm glad I did, especially to hear the QA and the end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia

Moderate: Self harm, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Eating disorder, and Mental illness

leweylibrary's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.25

I'm struggling to rate this one because I don't feel like I have adequate words to do so?

I struggled with the format--or lack thereof really--and the audiobook narrator. I actually got like 35% through and then had to restart it waaaaay slower because I was finding myself missing things and not paying attention. I definitely think I would've done better with it reading it physically, there are just way too many poetic moments and literary devices at work for me to track on audio. I'm grateful for the Q&A style afterwords because it did clear up some of what the author was attempting to do. Like I now have a greater appreciation for the work she put into making her writing seem simple and punchy when while reading it, it mostly just felt jarring and hard to follow or stay invested in. 

The topics covered are obviously intense. Big trigger warnings for a lot. Covering them is absolutely vital to her story, though, and her journey towards reconciliation and healing.

Overall, I can tell it was brilliant, it just wasn't totally for me in this format. And that's okay and doesn't detract from the skill it took to write it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Abortion, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Self harm, Abandonment, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts

carnimdream's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Addiction, Alcohol, Child abuse, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Violence

Minor: Abortion and Chronic illness

heather_renae's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Mental illness

Moderate: Self harm and Domestic abuse

Minor: Suicide attempt and Eating disorder

lureads2's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

3.5

Beautiful writing, important insights into indigeneity, native womanhood, trauma, and motherhood; but while the book is marketed as an exploration of the author's bipolar disorder and PTSD, the book ended up focusing mainly on the author's many fraught relationships with dissappointing men, which was frustrating to read about. Further, the author's criticisms of the mental health system were often shallow and trite, and fell flat for me. Nonetheless, this book holds stark and devastating revelations about what it means to be an indigenous woman, the experience of trauma and PTSD, the joys and horrors of grappling with Indigenous identity and with motherhood; so overall this is an important and well written book, as long as you are ready to explore these themes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Grief, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Child abuse

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

emotional sad fast-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Medical content, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Suicidal thoughts

biab00's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Suicide, Eating disorder, Death, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Pregnancy, Mental illness, and Abortion

blakeandbooks's review against another edition

emotional sad fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, Self harm, Pregnancy, and Sexual content

devan's review against another edition

sad fast-paced

1.5

I think I am being generous with a 1.5. People have said this book is poetic. It feels more like stream of consciousness - verbal vomit. I know mental health can be a tough topic but it felt more like “woe is me, I can’t stop saying yes to this unhealthy relationship and I feel bad no good about it”. 

Memoirs are tough to review but it brings up a question about who they are written for. If someone needs to tell their story, who am I to stop you but stories like this being praised feel a bit like rewarding & praising toxic relationships. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Suicide, and Toxic relationship

fink1129's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Eating disorder, Grief, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Incest, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship