Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Bellies by Nicola Dinan

13 reviews

evfav's review against another edition

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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? Yes

4.0

I was completely engrossed in this book, I’ve never finished anything so quickly because I was always wanting to pick it up and every time I did I got lost in it’s pages for hours at a time. This story broke my heart in all the ways I expected and some more that I didn’t. Every character revealed vulnerability and depth and felt so real. The way Tom and Ming’s relationship developed felt so natural and warmed and broke my heart. This was an amazing story about self discovery, learning to love yourself, and the hardships of growing into a chaotic world, but it was always grounded in the important lasting friendships. 
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frmeden's review

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emotional funny hopeful sad 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? Yes

5.0

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abbie_'s review

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emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for my free eARC!

I’m reaching for a lot of queer lit this year and let me tell you, the 2023 offerings I’ve read so far this year have been 😚 chef’s kiss 😚 Bellies is a wonderfully tender and intimate portrayal of messy queer love at its finest, the title is absolutely perfect - it really does make you reflect on your own vulnerabilities, how much you show and share with those you love, the courage it takes to show your belly, expose the soft, squishy parts usually kept to ourselves.

To sum up super briefly, Ming and Tom meet at uni and quickly become boyfriends, but just as they’re about to begin their ‘real lives’ together after graduation, Ming announces her transition. Cue, all the feelings. Nicola Dinan has done an exquisite job of capturing the messy glory of life. The plot, as it were, is basically just Tom and Ming navigating their way through their twenties, amid so much professional and personal shift. Half of the book is told through Tom’s eyes, half through Ming’s, and it’s always a wonderful thing when an author can make each voice as compelling as the other. Both Ming and Tom’s flaws are laid bare, and while I definitely felt frustrated at some of their choices, I’ve also not felt such tenderness towards fictional characters in a long time. They’re young and do dumb shit while figuring out who they are and what they mean to each other, something they find themselves doing over and over again (don’t we all). Dinan tackles gender, race, sexual orientation, mental illness, grief, and so much more without it ever feeling shoe-horned in.

The supporting characters are also bloody amazing, and honestly my heart was ripped in two at one point. I had to put down my iPad and take a breather lol, it’s been a while since I had such a dramatic reaction to an event in a book 👀 This is just exactly the type of book I adore but which has evaded me for a little bit - compelling and utterly engrossing, but being driven by nothing but people living out their little lives. Love it love it love it 🥰

Out on the 29th of June in the UK!
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