Reviews tagging 'Transphobia'

Bellies by Nicola Dinan

54 reviews

poisoned_icecream's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense medium-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 had a hard time staying focused on this book. It's not a bad book but I don't consider it one of the best things I've ever read. I did not feel invested or interested in Tom and Ming's relationship and breakup. I felt indifferent towards the side characters except Rob, who I've headcanoned as aromantic, but he gets hit by a car and dies. His death leads Ming and Tom to reunite and come to a reconciliation. I'm so annoyed that Rob dies. There was a missed opportunity for him to figure put that he's aromantic and then Tom could have decided that he's fine with being single. But anyway this book is fine. I did like it but I don't see myself ever rereading it or reading anything else by Nicola Dinan.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder

Moderate: Transphobia

Minor: Car accident and Death of parent

ccerpa's review against another edition

• 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

3.75

what an incredibly triggering experience to end 2024 on!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Grief, Alcohol, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Death, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Classism

paddy_chh's review

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

I cannot remember ever reading about as realistic and relatabley  flawed characters as these.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Transphobia, Grief, and Car accident

henrietteterkelsen's review

emotional reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Transphobia, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, and Dysphoria

siobhanward's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

3.5

This was sweet and sad but not my favourite. Maybe the characters were too young and just in a part of their lives that no longer resonates with me. Maybe time moved too quickly and it felt like things just got jumbled. I think it may be a combination of both. I liked Tom and Ming, and now their relationship ebbed and flowed, and I liked the side characters, it just felt like the book just wasn't quite there. I think Dinan opted to zoom out on their lives and over a longer period of time, which worked in some ways but not in others, and that might be where the problem was for me. It was an interesting book with some sweet and heartbreaking moments, but not one I can see myself revisiting. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Death, Homophobia, and Transphobia

tmfrancis's review

dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Eating disorder, Transphobia, and Vomit

kers_tin's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Moderate: Death, Racism, Transphobia, and Pandemic/Epidemic

adampjt's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use

Moderate: Death and Death of parent

Minor: Transphobia and Car accident

emily_schlegel's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death

Minor: Eating disorder, Transphobia, and Death of parent

yleavy's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

2.25

Some sweet moments, and I can see why people like this book. The characters all have moments of charm in that “uni student who thinks they are quirky” sort of way. The dialogue felt like it was coming from an afterschool special, with the characters using therapy words or helping each other reach a profound revelation in every conversation. Without the tense changes, the characters’ POVs would be difficult to tell apart, and the analogies were often more distracting than fitting. Examples include “our tongues shook hands” and “my heart grows thicker”. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Deadnaming, Drug use, Eating disorder, Transphobia, Vomit, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic