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Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan

172 reviews

v7738v773's review against another edition

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challenging dark 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

2.0

I thought I’d like this book more than I did. The brutal honesty und accuracy with which the author describes the protagonist’s emotions and behaviors were intriguing, but I just didn’t feel good reading this book. It was hard to get into at first and the last third just made me feel dragged down. I didn’t really want to continue reading but did so for the sake of finishing the book. Maybe more fitting for someone else, as I just didn’t feel connected to the main character, especially towards the end. I found it too dark and just couldn’t relate to the overall mindset. Reading this book felt like a toxic and abusive experience with an ending that was neither conclusive nor developed enough for me. Wouldn’t read again and wouldn’t really recommend to a friend. 
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erinbarton's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced

3.5

possibly would enjoy this more if i hadn’t already read the lesser bohemians, conversations with friends, insatiable, luster, and cleopatra and frankenstein - all of which explore a young, depressed girl beginning an extremely toxic relationship with an older man.

this is possibly my fault for reading even when i knew the premise wasn’t especially unique, but i’ll be honest the instagram hype just got to me and had to see for myself. if you’re someone who absolutely loves the books i listed above and have no problem reading multiple literary fiction books exploring the power dynamics in unbalanced relationships then you would most likely really enjoy this — good prose, solid characterisation, realistic dialogue, themes of mental health/substance abuse — however if you weren’t especially crazy about the previous books (as i wasn’t except for the lesser bohemians which i loved) then probably give this a miss.
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sallyrooneystan's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

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julesloyola's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad fast-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

4.75

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lunabean's review against another edition

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challenging dark 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

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crawforl's review against another edition

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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

4.0

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resolving2read's review

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dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

took me a while to finish but that was only because i was prolonging my time with this book since i liked the prose so much
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lilyforever's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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sophee_568's review against another edition

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dark reflective medium-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

3.0

I didn't like this as much as I thought I would. It started off strong. The main character is quite messy, and self-destructive. She struggles with body image and self-harm. For most of the book I empathised with the MC but after she did something bad to her boyfriend I struggled to be on her side. 

This book does a good job at representing an incredibly toxic relationship. And it is toxic from both sides. Our protagonist and her boyfriend Cieran are "bad" in their own ways. They have their own issues which are the reason for all the ways they punish each other. By the end of the book, Cieran shows his "evil" side, and even SA's our protagonist. That was horrible to read. I felt truly disgusted with Cieran. No matter what the narrator did or said, she did not deserve to be treated that way. Her liking and phantasizing about being hurt during intercourse, does not give her boyfriend permission to do what he did.

The narrator is written as a complex character. Since the novel is written in 1st person perspective, we get to see all her thought processes and none of them are positive or healthy. She is quite the unlikeable character; relatable in some ways and completely alien in others. For the most part I liked being in her head and knowing why she did what she did but after some time it got tiring. Throughout the story, the narrator's life spirals out of control, and it's not easily digestible. I got angry at her, and I was disappointed how readily she let herself be used and abused. I think the point of this book is to show all those ugly parts of a woman's life; and how tough is it to feel like you have some power in life, and in relationships with men.

The book ends with our narrator slowly gaining some confidence and control back. She is in a different country, and one of her friends came to visit her. At the very end of the book, their brief affair is shown but this time the roles are reversed. She even compares herself to Cieran because now she is the one who is detached, and her friend is the dependent one in the relationship. The idea behind this part is good but the execution felt rushed.

While I think this book is an okay addition to the trend of unhinged mentally ill woman, it didn't present anything new or original. I don't think I will reread this book, and I'm pretty sure I'll forget about it soon.
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fatkidatheartreads's review against another edition

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dark

3.5

What great writing, but also what a terrible, unhinged and toxic relationship! I'm not even going to judge her because I was a few steps away from her self sabotage mannerisms when I myself almost fell for a narcissistic bag of red flags like Mr Ciaran himself. Let me just tell you, 😭. I'm glad I escaped, and so did she, kinda???! 

Love addiction, self sabotaging, unhinged behavior, ghosting and love bombing are insane...but they can happen to any one of us. I appreciate this book for discussing such a harrowing and obsessive relationship.
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