Reviews tagging 'Fatphobia'

Chlorine by Jade Song

35 reviews

aubreystrawberry's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

this was a unique take on being a little too into sports (if that’s the interpretation you want, I have a few) that is a little too real. the delusion and cult-like community causing people to reach a breaking point…. yoinks

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Medical content, Blood, Fatphobia, Self harm, and Body horror

Moderate: Bullying

pryingblackbird's review against another edition

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Body horror

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Eating disorder, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Fatphobia, Toxic friendship, Mental illness, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Medical content

Minor: Racism, Xenophobia, and Bullying

charlie_woodchipper's review

dark mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

Wow, this will definitely become a comfort read (Or rather listen, on audible, which was incredibly well done. Especially when Ren screamed near the ending)

Having done 1 year of competitive swimming in high school, and quitting because it was hella toxic, I 100% relate and 100% remember being horrified by the girls whose swimming was there whole life. It was uncanny and unsettling, just like in this book. Boys and men were also forbidden in my school from participating or being coach, because there had been too much sexual violence in the past. Men and boys are really all the same

I related with Ren and Jim ""relationship"", knowing what it's like to fall prey to predatory adult men, feeling valued and special by them

I related to how traumatic putting a tampon on is for the first time. My mother's impatience. How I HAD to do it, because I had swimming practice. How she made me put lub on for it to finally work. I went through the same thing

I related with Cathy's codependency. I had a Ren of my own during childhood all the way to highschool 

Being born with OCD from family genes, I related to Ren obsessive and compulsive behaviours 

I can't wait to read more from Jade!

Only two things that made no sense to me ; How the team still had a party after Ren made her tail (I'm convinced they would have been WAY too disturbed for that. Secondly, although it was very satisfying, how Luke believed Ren mermaid haunted him. Like Virginie Despentes in King Kong Theory said, very few rapists actually believe that they are rapists. I think Luke, if he were a real boy, would most definitely not picture himself as a rapist for what he did in the shed. Most likely would have convinced himself it was consensual

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Self harm, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Sexual assault, Fatphobia, Racism, Misogyny, Eating disorder, and Medical trauma

Minor: Animal death

ankita1996's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Sexism, Gore, Body horror, Eating disorder, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood

Minor: Fatphobia, Racism, Abortion, Bullying, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault

r_o_s_e's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Self harm, Eating disorder, and Fatphobia

Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Racism, Medical content, and Bullying

Minor: Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual assault

bluedilly's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Vomit, Blood, Body horror, Mental illness, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Medical content, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, and Gore

Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content, Addiction, Fatphobia, Racism, Rape, Suicide, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Pregnancy, Violence, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

Minor: Alcohol, Cannibalism, Death, Pedophilia, and Panic attacks/disorders

chughes5's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Fatphobia, Racism, Body horror, Rape, Dysphoria, Self harm, Gore, Xenophobia, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Mental illness, and Bullying

ouijabroad's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

3.75

I really enjoyed this one which I’m thankful for because I’ve had several let downs recently.

I read this in about a day because I couldn’t put it down! The writing is beautiful and as a child who never wanted to leave the water and longed to be a mermaid so badly I connected with Ren on some level (not to the extreme she went to of course). I remember hopping around with my legs crisscrossed at the ankles in my elemntary school classroom and being enamored with the mermaids in the cartoon of Peter Pan.

The telling of a coming of age tale that didn’t fall into tropes and cis-heteronormativity was refreshing.

My only real “complaint”, and I’m using that term loosely because as I said I loved this, I don’t know if I would call this book a horror book; there’s really only one visceral scene and the rest, while unsettling (or maybe not depending on if you believe Ren’s ideas about herself)  is mostly a coming of age story mixed with a fairy tale…then again, growing up a girl is pretty horrible. The descriptions of how Jim is with the young girls made me seethe and cringe as someone who has experienced this kind of behavior by many men I’ve come into contact with at a young age. It seems universal. I did find a lot of truth in Song’s writing even if Ren and I experienced very different childhoods. 

Normally ambiguous endings annoy me but I was satisfied with this one. Then I keep thinking is it ambiguous though?! I think it’s up to the reader and some context clues to decide that. 

Again I really loved this even though it strayed pretty far out of my chosen horror genre. Looking forward to reading more of Jade Song’s work in the future! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Gore, Blood, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Medical content, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Xenophobia, and Self harm

Moderate: Bullying, Abandonment, and Rape

komaedacoffee's review against another edition

emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Eating disorder, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness

Moderate: Abortion, Addiction, Rape, and Blood

Minor: Pregnancy and Vomit

mwhite0226's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Gore, and Self harm

Moderate: Medical content, Drug use, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Fatphobia, Sexual content, and Body shaming