Reviews

Open: An Uncensored Memoir of Love, Liberation, and Non-Monogamy by Rachel Krantz

jen_the_librarian13's review

4.0

I enjoyed this book but u also feel like anyone who isn’t already poly would get a bad first impression with this book. There is a lot of gaslighting going on and it literally brought back memories of similar relationships. But it was a very thorough documentation of what it’s like to be in that kind of abusive relationship. Just don’t go looking for sunshine and rainbows in this one.

feliciasrose's review against another edition

2.25

I'm having a really difficult time deciding on how to rate this book. I don't think it serves to give you tons of advice about non-monogomy so I don't think I got what I expected out of it. There were parts where I really resonated with Rachel's experience with someone who intentionally/unintentionally abused her and then there were times where I loathed to hear her inner monologue. She was so ill prepared to be in this type of relationship and it angered me to continue. I was also felt so bogged down by her own emotional turmoil so this was difficult to get through at times. My overall enjoyment is low for this. I guess the question is, do I think this served to provide some information to me that I might not have gotten elsewhere...my answer is I'm not so sure. So yeah...I think some of the conversations Rachel had with other non-monogoumous people were interesting but we only got maybe 10% of that in the story.

susancat's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.5

howiedoowinfam's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

edna_lives_'s review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

Polyamory, non-monogamy Jewish, bisexuality

becksbooks's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

4.75

stine_0's review

emotional reflective fast-paced

5.0

coleycole's review against another edition

4.0

I have mixed feelings. I love a footnote book! I enjoy the conceit and the meta analysis of it all. Her approach of recording conversations, keeping a lot of notes, getting experts to analyze her experience - fascinating.

While she thinks and writes about non-monogamy a lot, the main subject feels like gaslighting. And for the whole book, I felt like: GIRL. LEAVE. But that's the whole thing with gaslighting.

uranaishi's review

adventurous emotional hopeful informative reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Sexual content, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Classism, Eating disorder, Addiction, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Transphobia, Vomit, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Violence, Drug abuse, Terminal illness, Cancer, Confinement, Cursing, Excrement, and Misogyny

Minor: Abandonment, Infertility, Racism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Medical content, Self harm, Sexism, Miscarriage, Sexual harassment, Ableism, Biphobia, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Outing

thepoetessa's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0