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Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'
Die unerklärliche Logik meines Lebens by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
6 reviews
maikendignes's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was a rollercoaster and I absolutely loved it! The prose were great, and the author had me in tears one minute, and smiling the next. Definitely exceeded my expectations considering that I’d seen a lot of mixed reviews. It’s a bit slow paced in the beginning, but it is definitely worth it in my opinion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Homophobia
Moderate: Death and Drug abuse
Minor: Sexual assault
drbex's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I really enjoyed this book quite a bit. I love the concept of a white kid being adopted by a queer Latinx man and it being good.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Sexual assault
arhazobooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
How do you read a book that interested you enough, but didn't fully win you over? It was a page turner and yet not extraordinary. Like a good one time read and that's it. What's the equivalent for one-time-use- and-discard, in the book world? OR those disposable plastic cutleries (even when you plan on keeping it when it's not meant to be). Is there a concept? One-time-read, it is then.
It's about Sal a 17 year old boy who is confused about who he is. His adoptive father gave him a letter from his dead mother, and it's up to him as to whether or not he wants to open it or not. It's his story as much as it's the story of his best friends Sam, and Fito.
This book was one sad thing after another. I know if I were a character in this friend group I would have called it the worst year of my life given how much stress went down. But the way this book was executed, it made me feel warmer too. They bonded and got closer, and you could see the love they have for one another especially with all that was going on. So it feels wrong to say some good came out of the bad...it's more like the bad existed and really amplified the good that was always there.'
All round love and distress... It's basically life.
-
It's not a perfect book of course (what is a perfect book?)
Like some things I question, like what was that and Fito's comment about gays refusing to act like men 'I be a girl' just say nah I be a man (something along those lines). I'm not sure if I read it right.
Also When Sam insisted on reading Fito's journal...
Or when Sam slapped Sal even though he was trying to defend her from a guy who nearly raped her...
I still can't rate it. It's not quite a 3 nor is it fully a 4...so
3.75/5
It's about Sal a 17 year old boy who is confused about who he is. His adoptive father gave him a letter from his dead mother, and it's up to him as to whether or not he wants to open it or not. It's his story as much as it's the story of his best friends Sam, and Fito.
This book was one sad thing after another. I know if I were a character in this friend group I would have called it the worst year of my life given how much stress went down. But the way this book was executed, it made me feel warmer too. They bonded and got closer, and you could see the love they have for one another especially with all that was going on. So it feels wrong to say some good came out of the bad...it's more like the bad existed and really amplified the good that was always there.'
All round love and distress... It's basically life.
-
It's not a perfect book of course (what is a perfect book?)
Like some things I question, like what was that and Fito's comment about gays refusing to act like men 'I be a girl' just say nah I be a man (something along those lines). I'm not sure if I read it right.
Also When Sam insisted on reading Fito's journal...
Or when Sam slapped Sal even though he was trying to defend her from a guy who nearly raped her...
I still can't rate it. It's not quite a 3 nor is it fully a 4...so
3.75/5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Death, and Sexual assault
nefari_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
“She knew I hated being called white boy. Even though I was technically a white boy, I was raised in a Mexican family. So I didn’t qualify as your average white boy. “
“The B word is the N-word for girls. I hate that. What kind of feminist are you, anyway? “
“One of the great things about Sam was that she didn’t throw like a girl. “
“You know, for a gay guy, my dad was pretty straight. “
“And Fito’s such a schizophrenic dork. “
These direct quotes….speak for themselves 🙃. I can’t believe this is the same author who wrote 2 of my favorite books.
“The B word is the N-word for girls. I hate that. What kind of feminist are you, anyway? “
“One of the great things about Sam was that she didn’t throw like a girl. “
“You know, for a gay guy, my dad was pretty straight. “
“And Fito’s such a schizophrenic dork. “
These direct quotes….speak for themselves 🙃. I can’t believe this is the same author who wrote 2 of my favorite books.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, and Homophobia
Minor: Animal cruelty, Ableism, Car accident, Misogyny, and Sexual assault
bebidocrimes's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This writing style is kinda choppy, like it's mostly simple sentences, but I guess that's what makes the 450 pages feel like an easy read. Not sure the author really knows any teenagers in real life, but they don't text like that. Who shortens don't to dn't keeping the apostrophe? Besides minor nitpicky things like that, this really was a beautiful book. It was light and heartfelt, but what really hit me was being reminded of last April and everything me and my family went through while my Meemaw was in hospice. Grief really is love with nowhere to go.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, and Homophobia
Minor: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Violence
alylentz's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
2021 reread: I still think this is lovely and warm, but I did realize how slowly it moved this time and maybe wished there was a little more plot driving things along. I don't think I loved it quite as much as the first time, but still found it beautiful and an enjoyable reread.
I probably read this in a little over 24 hours. His style is just so readable and his stories always hook me immediately and I can't put them down. I enjoyed seeing a different kind of plot than Aristotle and Dante (which I loved so much I still think about it probably like every day) but with a lot of similar coming of age and community themes. I couldn't help comparing them, and while I do think that one was probably a better novel overall, this one is still extremely strong. At times things seem to fall into place too easily or there was something about the narration that seemed like it wasn't as natural as A&D, but overall, I got completely sucked in and couldn't predict what was going to happen. And of course, I cried at the end! Anyway, I loved this--it's a quick read that still manages to feel soulful, fresh, and honest.
I probably read this in a little over 24 hours. His style is just so readable and his stories always hook me immediately and I can't put them down. I enjoyed seeing a different kind of plot than Aristotle and Dante (which I loved so much I still think about it probably like every day) but with a lot of similar coming of age and community themes. I couldn't help comparing them, and while I do think that one was probably a better novel overall, this one is still extremely strong. At times things seem to fall into place too easily or there was something about the narration that seemed like it wasn't as natural as A&D, but overall, I got completely sucked in and couldn't predict what was going to happen. And of course, I cried at the end! Anyway, I loved this--it's a quick read that still manages to feel soulful, fresh, and honest.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Homophobia, Medical content, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
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