Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan

146 reviews

b_fruits's review against another edition

4.75

How satisfying to finally find a tale of obsessive love in which the female narrator grows and changes, is just as cruel and messy as the object of her desire. To feel that there is a lesson learned rather than a wound dug open for no reason. Wonderful. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Alcoholism

Moderate: Self harm

lenahausr's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, and Alcohol

carolrol_lina'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? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

bem ok! O role molieres depressivas começou a me cansar em certo ponto,, mas eh bom! capitulos curtos!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Grief, Sexual harassment, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Gore, Rape, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Body shaming, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Sexual violence

ahbuggrit's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

Lauren Coe did a wonderful job narrating this. 
Dark material but written in an engaging way. Nolan had described a very destructive individual, a person we might easily recognise or know of from our own lives. She feels very real. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Rape, Self harm, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Eating disorder

shirazy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

I’m still not sure how to rate this book. I hated, but really haaaated, the narrator and Ciaran. They were both awful people in both similar and different ways. I couldn’t relate to them or their actions in any way. I found myself wanting to yell at them and shake them and give up on them throughout the book. It was a difficult read for those reasons.

However, the author is incredibly talented and I loved the writing style. While reading about these characters I  was strongly overcome with anger, disgust, and fear. There were points where I felt physically ill. So, while I didn’t enjoy the act of reading this book- the story did leave its mark. I’m sure I’ll be thinking about these characters and their toxic relationship(s)  for a long while.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Rape, and Self harm

edgaranjapoe's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Physical abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Stalking, Alcohol, Body shaming, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Drug use, Rape, Self harm, Alcoholism, Blood, Toxic relationship, and Violence

danielatheinkdrinker's review against another edition

dark emotional tense 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

3.75

ciaran was an abuser, but slowly and intricately so was the narrator. a gaslighter who was excitably desperate for any gram of love she could satisfy herself with.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Rape, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, and Suicidal thoughts

luce98's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.5

Beautifully written. Crazy toxic.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Eating disorder, Addiction, Alcoholism, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Self harm

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