Reviews tagging 'Dysphoria'

Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan

10 reviews

yinflower's review against another edition

challenging 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Self harm

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Fatphobia, Sexual violence, Dysphoria, Alcoholism, Eating disorder, and Addiction

eralbesu's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.0

If this were autobiographical I’d say it’s an extremely brave piece of work, because ~whew~ Acts of Desperation was quite precisely named. 

This reads as a confessional from our main character about her obsessions with love and sex and her volatile relationship with her body and her compulsion to punish it. 

There were many parts that were difficult for me to read and plenty of parts where I had to step away because of my embarrassment with the our main character’s sheer honesty about her actions and her intentions. 

Not sure I could recommend it, as the trigger warnings are plentiful, but I’m happy I read it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body shaming, Gaslighting, Alcoholism, Addiction, Infidelity, Rape, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Body horror, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Gore, Self harm, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Abandonment and Fatphobia

corina28's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Grief, Physical abuse, Rape, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Mental illness, and Self harm

Moderate: Abandonment

quills4days's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Blood, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, Addiction, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

redflyingbook's review against another edition

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

this surely was a quick read!

the narrator is a woman in her twenties, who meets a guy who she becomes immediately infatuated, and quickly downright obsessed with. here begins a - in the eyes of probably any clear thinking bystander - highly toxic relationship that mainly made me want to spit the guy right in his face for the excessively shitty behavior towards her. along the way, the book also explores the narrator's struggles with alcoholism, dependence, identity, body image, lust and love. 

some trains of thought felt wildly familiar and definitely expressed complex feelings very boldly and clearly. 
although the focus was probably also supposed to be more on the relationship dynamic , somehow i felt that the characters still lacked substance in some way? the ending part also felt unexpectedly extreme and not entirely well-paced in my opinion. still an interesting read that urges you ponder about uncomfortable but important topics.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Addiction, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Self harm, and Violence

Moderate: Terminal illness and Dysphoria

nikylela's review against another edition

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Body shaming, Dysphoria, Alcoholism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, and Eating disorder

nassimd's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Self harm

Moderate: Dysphoria, Alcoholism, and Drug abuse

thesawyerbean's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad 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

5.0

Wow, this was incredible. The writing was so raw, vulnerable and personal, and yet utterly intoxicating. 

The book centred on the whirlwind ‘romance’ between the narrator and Ciaran, laying bare the destructive force of obsessive love on the self. The narrator’s point of view, despite being unnamed, was so intimate that you felt everything that she went through. 

Interweaved with the affecting prose was nuanced and edifying commentary on sex, gender, consent, power and patriarchy, the male gaze and the violence of sex. The flash-forwards to 2019 Athens were rich and clear in these perspectives, providing a stunning contrast to the dizziness of the narrator’s thoughts and experiences in the main timeline. 

Overall, a staggering and important debut which left me stewing in thought for a while after.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Rape, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Violence, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Addiction, Sexual assault, Fatphobia, and Infidelity

kelleykamanda's review

challenging dark emotional 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

4.0

This is a painful read. It follows a character in an abusive relationship. The needing, longing, self destructive feelings are some that many people could relate to. The character finds herself watching what she's doing from outside her body, wondering why she is accepting this horrible pain... and then convinces herself that she must accept this "love" as it is all she is worth. I especially connected to the character's constant need for validation, especially from those who are hurting her the most. 

All in all, an exceptional read. Painful and sad, but truly brilliant. Put into words the experiences that many of us sadly go through. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Grief, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Dysphoria, Domestic abuse, and Sexual content

Moderate: Self harm, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Rape

stellabyproxy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

“Mediating your own victimhood is just part of being a woman. Using it or denying it, hating it or loving it, and all of these at once. Being a victim is boring for everyone involved.”

acts of desperation follows a nameless narrator as she falls in obsession with a man named ciaran. we follow her recollection of the fast-paced romance, toxic codependency, abusive control and abrupt ending(s). 

nolan’s writing reads like a frantic train of thought, a private journal, as we take a look at desire, impulsivity, promiscuity, abuse, sexual assault and self-destruction in women (basically, a long list of trigger and content warnings). the complexities of the lenses through which the actions of the protagonist are viewed allows for an unsettling look into the female psyche. nolan has a strong character voice that fully immerses the reader into the storyline, with her choice of an unnamed narrator, written in first person, creating a thin barrier between the story and the readers’ experience. there is much beauty to be found in her commentary on topics of ageism, love, lust, infidelity, mental health and power, making for lots of delicately devastating quotes. 

acts of desperation is perfectly poetic, a beautifully intrusive descent into madness. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, and Infidelity

Moderate: Self harm, Toxic relationship, Dysphoria, and Sexism

Minor: Addiction, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, and Death