Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Betty by Tiffany McDaniel

92 reviews

ohshellz's review

dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

So many trigger warnings

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Incest, Miscarriage, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, and Sexual assault

hippiequeen's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Pedophilia, Gun violence, Hate crime, Incest, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Murder, Racism, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Blood, and Vomit

laureen_lamzc's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Incest, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Pedophilia, Murder, Rape, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexism, Self harm, Abortion, Racism, and Sexual violence

athenabirch's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring sad fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Racism, Suicide attempt, Incest, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Sexism, and Rape

kimba13's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, and Suicide attempt

rosies_book_shelf's review

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Racial slurs, Rape, Racism, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Miscarriage, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Suicide, Vomit, Violence, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Misogyny, Gun violence, Gore, Blood, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Death of parent, and Child death

melanierigden's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Racial slurs, Racism, Homophobia, Death, Rape, Physical abuse, Misogyny, and Abortion

layton93's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, and Incest

Moderate: Self harm, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Abortion, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Grief, Mental illness, and Murder

abbyb23's review against another edition

emotional sad tense slow-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

Betty is a beautiful book that I rushed through, because I loved the story so much that I wanted to read it as quickly as possible. It’s also a book I would be very hesitant to recommend, because of the many sections of triggering content. 

The trigger warnings for this book are very extensive, which makes it a very emotionally heavy read. To my understanding, Betty is to some degree a biographical work, telling the life stories of the author’s family, through the perspective of her mother, Betty. The upsetting aspects of this book are told in a way that fleshes out the characters and shows the nuances of a real family. I think that this book works because, despite the violence that the book deals with at many points, it also tells a beautiful story. It follows Betty as she grows up, telling sweet stories and upsetting ones. This book is very much based around the traditions and folk stories told by Betty’s father, a Cherokee man. It makes the book incredibly interesting to read, as you see the ways the characters connect with nature and their identity. 

I’m not a person who cries often, but the ending genuinely made me cry, to the point where I could not see through the tears. It’s beautiful in a heartbreaking way, all the way through. 

To close: as much as I loved this book, I would not feel comfortable recommending it to most people. If you aren’t comfortable reading about violence in any detail, this is not the book for you. But, if you are looking for a gritty but touching story, I think Betty is a perfect one. I think this a book that would be very validated to people with experiences covered in it, as the writing shines a light on the things most families do not speak about, and how to heal from them. I will also say, if you enjoyed The Miseducation of Cameron Post, this book reminded me a lot of it. The type of setting, year by year storytelling, and hard topics are similar in both stories. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Rape, Emotional abuse, and Racism

Moderate: Racial slurs and Physical abuse

Minor: Incest and Animal death

phantasyia's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Death, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Incest, Suicide, Rape, Animal death, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Blood, Bullying, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Racism