Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan

152 reviews

nreyno's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Self harm, Fatphobia, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

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

chiara_ophelia's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Sexual assault, Rape, Self harm, and Addiction

Minor: Drug use

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

lorraine87's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Body shaming, Rape, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Violence, Alcoholism, and Sexual violence

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

selmv's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

2.75

the end cldve been less predictable n a bit better , but i feel like thats an unfair thing 2 say when it reflects th harsh (yet as good as it can get) reality that women have 2 live . . life is unsatifsying as a woman (especially as a woman who is very inescapably conditioned by patriarchy)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Rape

Moderate: Sexism, Eating disorder, Vomit, Self harm, and Alcoholism

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

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

marieantoinette's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Self harm, Eating disorder, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Abandonment

Minor: Self harm