britt_zonnebloempit's review
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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
4.25
Roller derby and a bunch of lesbians, what's not to love?
It was a lot more fun to read than I expected, honestly. Easy to work through, fun and bubbly characters with depth, and a whole lot of character development!
It was a lot more fun to read than I expected, honestly. Easy to work through, fun and bubbly characters with depth, and a whole lot of character development!
Moderate: Death of parent and Self harm
bikiribaku's review
This was way too triggering for me soooo plus the MC ?? Nah thank you
Graphic: Death of parent and Self harm
mayareadsxo's review
i’m coming back but i wanted to read something else 🤪
Moderate: Self harm
fieldfarmer's review
dark
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
3.75
My main issue with Bruised is that I felt like I was promised sad roller derby gals, and I did not receive enough of the roller derby itself because honestly my favorite part of sports books is the sport. However, I loved Daya's development so much. Grieving your parents is such a difficult task, especially when you're as young as she is, and I loved seeing her be able to open up both to her family and her new and old friends. Boteju's portrayal of grief was so real and raw that it took me longer to go through this book than I normally would've. I thought the love interest was kind of giving off "manic pixie dream girl who has a spine" vibes, but I still loved her and their relationship. Also, I'm a sucker for anything with queer grandmas.
Graphic: Grief, Self harm, and Death of parent
Moderate: Car accident, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness
bibisuzanne's review against another edition
3.75
I definitely didn't like the narrator, Daya, at first. she was very unlikeable even though some of her behaviour can be traced back to what she has been through. what kept me reading was the roller derby aspect, which was new to me and definitely fun. it luckily got better and I got to see Daya's character development. the amount of diversity and representation in this story was great; characters of colour, non binary, queer and a deaf person. so overall would recommend!
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Grief
mittymyers's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
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
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Car accident and Death of parent
al3xa's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Moderate: Self harm
Minor: Car accident
clem_s's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
3.5
I expected this book to be really on roller derby, a little like whip it but maybe I should have read the synopsis more carefully. The story was nice but it wasn’t what I wanted. The book is more about hurt and grief than roller. The main character needs roller to feel something other than her pain and grief. I liked this aspect of the book because it was interesting to see the character’s ways of dealing with grief. She had to find the best way to get bruises and roller was it. But in the end you have two or three chapters with actual roller in it. The relationship with the two sisters was interesting because they each represented and understood one side of her. Kate was the one who understood the hurt and Shanti was her door to recovery and accepting her pain. It was an interesting dynamics but not quite what I was expecting
Moderate: Self harm
Minor: Self harm
rowan_369's review
emotional
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
This book is absolutely amazing. It's so realistic,the catcters are amazing. I wouldn't recommend reading if your not in the right place as it's quite self harm orientated
Moderate: Self harm
kfreads's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-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
4.25
Graphic: Self harm, Cursing, Car accident, Death, and Death of parent