Reviews tagging 'Dysphoria'

Bellies by Nicola Dinan

20 reviews

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

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

eliliestjetzt's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

bellies ist, glaube ich, eines der besten bücher – wenn nicht das beste – die ich je gelesen habe!
es geht um zwei anfang 20-jährige, die sich verlieben. eine der beiden personen realisiert, dass sie trans ist und das verkompliziert die beziehung. alles weiter würde zu viel verraten!
wirklich 10/10 bzw. 5/5, ich liebe fast alle personen und das buch ist sowas von relatable, wunderschön geschrieben und einfach toll! ich habe geweint, gelächelt, gelacht und alles!

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Eating disorder, and Dysphoria

oz2021's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Infidelity

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

e11en's review

challenging 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Drug use, Mental illness, Transphobia, Grief, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Eating disorder, Car accident, and Death of parent

signeskov's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria

Moderate: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Sexual harassment

fkshg8465's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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? Yes

1.5

Definitely need more stories about the trans experience, but this story was told so poorly that I hated every minute of it. There are so few books on trans people that I felt like I had to finish it. Ordinarily, I would’ve DNFd it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Dysphoria

shortstackz's review

challenging emotional reflective slow-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

A beautifully written, bittersweet love story of the evolving experience of queerness. It's an introspective literary fiction that follows our two main characters: Tom and Ming. I cannot emphasize enough how beautiful the prose is, and how kind the perspective is to each of the characters as we explore how queer couples navigate and question one partner's transition journey.

Ming's character development across the whole book brings me so much joy for her, as she navigates her gender identity and finds her playwriter voice. I loved the added characterization of Ming being an immigrant from a country that would deny her existence, and discusses the very real inability to return to her home country (Malaysia) as herself. Ming brings up a lot of logistics of being a trans person, particularly a trans immigrant, that many cis-people (myself included) have had the privilege to not notice. 

In contrast we also see Tom's perspective, which I think is really valuable to see how a cis-partner might cope with their partner transitioning during the relationship. Tom identifies as a gay man, and that complicates his relationship with Ming when she begins to transition. I found sitting in Tom's head really interesting to see how he navigates his love for Ming, and his attraction towards masculine features.  

Ming and Tom love each other so much, and the bittersweet journey through Ming's transition is so beautifully complicated and heart-wrenching. At no point did I think either character wanted to deny Ming her gender identity, but love is more complicated than gender alone. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria

Moderate: Deadnaming and Death of parent

Minor: Deportation

alexgo's review against another edition

challenging

• 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

Moderate: Death, Transphobia, and Grief

Minor: Drug use, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Pandemic/Epidemic