Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan

87 reviews

seizuredreading's review against another edition

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? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I wanted to say she’s a dummy bitch & leave it be, but…

FL is complicated. Yes, it’s probable to say that her thoughts and reasoning are hard to follow, but I guess that’s the human condition at such an age, in said situations. Mind her life could’ve gotten far worse than her choices had led her. 
While this is a determining factor of DNF qualifications, I implore the few to power through. Interestingly reflective as FL comes to her own in the world. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Rape, Eating disorder, Self harm, Addiction, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

horrorandmagic's review against another edition

dark emotional slow-paced

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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content

sarverus's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Rape

twelveonine's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Self harm, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Rape

Moderate: Body shaming

Minor: Eating disorder

wordsofclover's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Sexual violence, Self harm, and Eating disorder

Minor: Rape

kmartro's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Written like a collection of essays dedicated to every (heterosexual) woman's worst experience with love & sex.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content

Moderate: Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Rape, and Eating disorder

Minor: Body shaming

litficchic's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual content, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Fatphobia

Minor: Self harm

eldo's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Self harm, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

Minor: Drug use

lizzardbreath's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-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

4.25

The ending of the novel was one that left me with mixed feelings. Not because I didn’t enjoy it, but because it’s one I feel like I need to sit in. I finished it last night and I’m still thinking about it and how it commentates on society through a feminist perspective. I would say that the main character’s monologue at the end was a message for the reader rather than one for herself. I was proud of her for finally being able to break that toxic cycles of abuse that she endured all her life, but it wasn’t in a way that made me jump for joy at her freedom. It was liberating in a very mellow sense and I think there should be more awareness on that, on how getting out of toxic/abusive relationships isn’t always a dramatic and happy ending, but rather one that feels like a fresh of breath air, knowing that there’s finally peace that in some ways, you still need to actively fight for. This is the first story I’ve read where the author did a great job in letting the reader inside the mind of someone who is currently suffering through a toxic/abusive relationship and the complicated feelings that come with it. There were times where I actually felt sympathy for her abuser even when I knew he’s the one that committed the ultimate evil. Overall, I would say this novel has a profound take on feminism, the struggles of women and their relationships with men, and the interesting psychology of a person in a toxic/abusive cycle (relationships or with themselves).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Self harm, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Sexual content, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Eating disorder, and Drug use

Minor: Vomit

ramreadsagain's review against another edition

4.25

I went in to this fully expecting it to be mid and overhyped but I actually loved it!

This is a book about how centralised 'male attention' can become in our lives especially if we are in a vulnerable place in terms of body image and mental health. As young women we are often made to believe that life will be better once we have found a man who will love us, and our unnamed narrator is entirely consumed by this.

This was at times painfully relatable, not in terms of the events, but the strings of thoughts and monologues we get from our narrator. I think the main male character was written extremely well in the way that his background and past shaped who he has become, making it clear that there are reasons behind his behaviour, but that they are explanations, not excuses.

I think I wanted our narrator to experience a bit more growth or at least a bit earlier in the book, the last scenes didn't quite feel like a satisfying ending for me (and I don't mean that in terms of an 'everything is fine now', just in terms of our character's arc) and I would have liked for it to lean further in to the narrator's relationship towards other women and how that might have changed for her.

I can definitely see the comparisons to Normal People. While Acts of Desperation is faster and larger than life, Normal People is a subtler look at some of the same issues.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Rape, and Eating disorder

Moderate: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Sexual assault