Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby

26 reviews

rachelbuckley's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Gun violence, Death, Grief, Cursing, Racial slurs, and Murder

Moderate: Racism, Transphobia, and Abandonment

naviajack's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

3.0

The beginning of this book was frustrating. I strongly disliked the characters. I was going to give this book 2 starts but the second half redeemed it. The characters are selfish, thick headed, and cocky. The trauma they put everyone through around them is unnecessary only because of their hyper toxic masculinity. They cause so much more trouble than they are worth.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Murder, Abandonment, Grief, Gun violence, and Racism

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Alcoholism, and Racial slurs

taylor13's review

dark emotional tense fast-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Cancer, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Infidelity, Gore, Racism, Transphobia, Blood, Addiction, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Violence, Gun violence, Alcohol, Car accident, Death, Torture, Cursing, Murder, and Racial slurs

anastasia_raf's review

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.75

I liked this book very much. I found it entertaining, dark, realistic, hard and raw. It is very well crafted and interesting. The characters were complex and I appreciated how nuanced was the presentation of grief. It was very well handled in my opinion.

I also think that people give Buddy Lee too much gredit when he rarely stops himself from being an asshole.
Ike, I think you need to start appreciating your wife more.

There was one of many sentences that rubbed me the wrong way... But this one? Not a fan. ''Buddy Lee leaned against the sink. His chest was as tight as virgin pussy." Huh.

I want to believe that this book is supposed to be a punch in toxic masculinity's throat since all this happened because Cis-het (especially white,) man are insecure in their own sexuality and very existence,
BUT, I felt like queer people were just there to serve the plot. I felt their presence was "over-exploited." I get how and why they were important to the plot but they were also used as an excuse for "character growth." This book goes out of its way to show how these fathers were educated on these topics by their gay sons and queer people in general and yet does nothing to educate its audience and to lift up queer voices. Another perspective on the plot is that these two homophobic fathers used revenge as a way of absolving themselves of the guilt (about the awful treatment towards their sons and their ignorant ass towards queerness.) And yet, was it intentional? Or just...there? I think that's where the book lacked in a way. It's not clear on where it stands.

"Still, some of Cosby's other choices render this novel something short of a triumph. Queer people are central to the investigation and the story, but not a one has a particularly strong, fully realized voice of their own..." "Cosby also has straight people talking about LGBTQIA+ marginalization in conversations that sometimes sound preachy rather than organic. It's a jarring juxtaposition — having straight characters gain this growing awareness of and sensitivity to discrimination when the queer characters are marginalized in the narrative." By Carole V. Bell, a cultural critic and communication scholar focusing on media, politics and identity. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Terminal illness, Medical content, Physical abuse, Death, Homophobia, Murder, Racism, Torture, Violence, Car accident, Cursing, Grief, Gun violence, Racial slurs, and Transphobia

Moderate: Body shaming, Death of parent, Car accident, Fatphobia, Lesbophobia, and Sexism

amieleigh8919's review

challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad tense 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: Blood, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Death, Homophobia, and Murder

Moderate: Abandonment, Racism, Racial slurs, and Alcoholism

rachelsbookishlife's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense slow-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Alcoholism, Blood, Gore, Racism, Death, Homophobia, Murder, Racial slurs, Transphobia, and Violence

Moderate: Abandonment, Deadnaming, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, and Sexual content

pollyhall's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-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

2.0

There is a scene at the beginning of the book where Ike is taking his grief out on a punching bag. The rhythm mimics the style of writing short and to the point which I liked. However, I found the language used to describe women in this book offensive. 
The story could have been shorter and some characters felt unnecessary to move the story along.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Cancer, Car accident, Kidnapping, Medical content, Racial slurs, Alcohol, Classism, Confinement, Death, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Vomit, Abandonment, Bullying, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, Murder, Racism, Torture, Transphobia, and Violence

legsonline's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Alcoholism, Gun violence, and Homophobia

Moderate: Death, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Grief, Deadnaming, Transphobia, Abandonment, Racism, and Murder

Minor: Terminal illness

lorarose's review

This book is action packed, which I found to be monotonous.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Grief, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, and Homophobia

Moderate: Grief, Abandonment, and Hate crime

alistinexo's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

 This book was a rough one, and i don't mean it was rough to read, i mean what happens throughout the book is rough. so glad i read it though.

i cried like a baby at the end when buddy lee died and ike was talking to him and the boys at the cemetery.

  this one really gets you thinking about how important it is to love your kids (or anyone) no matter what because they could be gone tomorrow and they need that love while theyre ALIVE, not when theyre 6 feet under. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, Death, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Racism, Violence, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, Car accident, Hate crime, and Kidnapping