Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

Betty by Tiffany McDaniel

48 reviews

amreynrt's review

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious 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

I thought about what rating I wanted to give Betty. It is an incredible story written in a way that makes you forget everything around you, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worst. Betty is a story of racism, abuse, love and magic. It is about very flawed people being a family. It is about a very flawed society through the 1960s. It is about a man loving his children and giving life the most he could. It is about traditions and relationships all seen from a growing kid's eyes.

The set up is great, and the author mentions she tried to do justice to Ohio. You can feel the nature and the Lanes (not streets) of Breathed. You can feel the river and the winter and the hills. Tiffany McDaniel did an incredible job of writing a book from a child's perspective. In this book, everything feels terribly real. 

Never have I ever loved reading such a tough story. Many have said it this way, and I wholeheartedly agree - it is a book I would love to reread, but I'm not sure I'd ever want to put myself through this again. A heartbreaking story put together through incredible writing. I had never felt so uncomfortable reading a book I would give 5 stars to. 

I loved when Betty confronted Leland at the end.  All this time she kept quiet for the sake of Fraya and because she did not understand how and whom to tell this story. I wanted Betty to confront or tell on Leland throughout the whole book, and it felt so real that she would do so only at the very end. Not all stories are fair, not all secrets are told in real life. She did it not when it mattered the most, but she did it nonetheless.

So, so many traumatising scenes. Nova on the train tracks. Trustin. Fraya. Alka when she was a little girl. The kittens. The racism. Sometimes, it was a little hard to take it all in. Yet you just keep going, because it is written beautifully and because you want to understand those characters that feel maybe a little too real.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Colonisation, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Violence, Animal death, Racism, Child death, Incest, and Sexual assault

Minor: Vomit

libbyyjo's review

emotional 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? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Miscarriage, Rape, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Animal death, Grief, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Cultural appropriation, Physical abuse, Child death, Abortion, Abandonment, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Violence, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Body shaming, Self harm, Pedophilia, Incest, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, and Addiction

kridenour's review

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Grief, Blood, Classism, Racism, Mental illness, Death, Rape, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Death of parent, Abortion, and Animal cruelty

angrylittlegartho's review

Was unaware of the content and hadn't seen trigger warnings prior to starting the book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Classism, Religious bigotry, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Blood, Racial slurs, Hate crime, Suicide attempt, Rape, Incest, Violence, Racism, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Child death, Pedophilia, Suicide, and Self harm

mountainfawn's review

dark emotional reflective 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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Grief, Rape, Abandonment, Child death, Incest, Death, Bullying, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Murder, Colonisation, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Racism, and Racial slurs

mariep97's review

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Incest, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Child death, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Racism, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Colonisation, Sexism, Self harm, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Death of parent, Rape, Medical content, Abortion, Mental illness, Miscarriage, and Child death

elliott_the_clementine's review

dark emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

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

I will leave this book unrated. Incredibly written, painfully dark, and intensely important. Please check the trigger warnings before reading. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Addiction, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Death of parent, Medical content, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide, Self harm, Torture, Child death, Chronic illness, Classism, Death, Gore, Ableism, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Misogyny, Incest, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Rape, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Colonisation, Drug use, and Fire/Fire injury

cheyarsen's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

This book wrenched my soul from my body. Everything hurts. This book isn’t for the faint of heart, but everyone should read it because the message is important. It’s a coming of age story about a girl who survives so much, told through the eyes of her younger self and her daughter’s writing. Please check the trigger warnings before going into this one, it’s a tough one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Bullying, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Abortion, Blood, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Child abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Drug use, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Sexual assault, Death, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Classism, Animal cruelty, Murder, Addiction, Animal death, Child death, Racism, Racial slurs, and Suicidal thoughts

jordyfrombookclub's review

challenging dark 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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Abortion, Child abuse, Sexism, Abandonment, Child death, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Blood, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Fatphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Violence, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Rape, Racism, Racial slurs, Murder, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Death, Animal cruelty, Torture, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts

This book barely lets you come up for air. It ties you up with a thin chain of hope and beauty as it drags you rampant abuse and family trauma. Not for the faint of heart (me).

xoxochannychan's review

challenging dark emotional sad 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

4.0

This book was the darkest I've read in a very long time. I almost had to DNF it. A very difficult read for mature audiences only. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Incest, Miscarriage, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Rape, Self harm, Animal death, Racial slurs, Suicide attempt, Grief, Murder, Racism, Addiction, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexism, Bullying, Child abuse, Gun violence, Child death, Death of parent, Drug use, Physical abuse, and Sexual violence