Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan

218 reviews

leoniepeonie's review against another edition

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

4.0

This book was pure pain to read, but wow. Nolan was so precise with the self-destruction of the protagonist and the minutiae of her heartache and emotion, and it was all so visceral and beautifully written.

I went into this book because a friend lent it to me. I'd been putting it off for a long time, suspecting it would be an intense, angsty relationship-y book aaaand reluctant to dive in because of the god-awful cover on the hardback edition. I thought this would be a wallowing book I wouldn't be able to get on board with, and for the first twenty or thirty pages or so I was feeling very, very done with the trope of self-hating 20-something women obsessing over problematic men and relationships. This book had its fair share of that trope within it, but it was done in such a wonderful way that it still had a lot to add to a saturated genre. It was pure toxicity but it explored the emotional depth of what would drive that situation, rather than primarily focusing on the immediacy of pain and difficulty as others in the genre have done. It looked at emotions and experiences directly as well as looking at the depth beneath it, which Nolan did particularly well because of the way she played with time. It had a rawness that was really special, and I raced through the book. I also love a short chapter, so that helped. Excellent.
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booksandlattesaddict's review against another edition

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

3.5

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1414's review against another edition

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

4.75

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aleini's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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b_fruits's review against another edition

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4.75

How satisfying to finally find a tale of obsessive love in which the female narrator grows and changes, is just as cruel and messy as the object of her desire. To feel that there is a lesson learned rather than a wound dug open for no reason. Wonderful. 
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pierrojenesais's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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

4.5

We love to see independent women breaking free from men
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matigiuro's review against another edition

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

3.75

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jgrhcklzccv's review against another edition

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

1.0

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ahbuggrit's review against another edition

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

4.25

Lauren Coe did a wonderful job narrating this. 
Dark material but written in an engaging way. Nolan had described a very destructive individual, a person we might easily recognise or know of from our own lives. She feels very real. 

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shirazy's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I’m still not sure how to rate this book. I hated, but really haaaated, the narrator and Ciaran. They were both awful people in both similar and different ways. I couldn’t relate to them or their actions in any way. I found myself wanting to yell at them and shake them and give up on them throughout the book. It was a difficult read for those reasons.

However, the author is incredibly talented and I loved the writing style. While reading about these characters I  was strongly overcome with anger, disgust, and fear. There were points where I felt physically ill. So, while I didn’t enjoy the act of reading this book- the story did leave its mark. I’m sure I’ll be thinking about these characters and their toxic relationship(s)  for a long while.
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