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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
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
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
fast-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
I found the characters highly problematic. I skipped pages 150-275. The last 15 pages redeem half a star.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting
Moderate: Drug use, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Dementia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Outing, Alcohol
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Yeah no, this book is a big No for me. I really tried to get into it, but ultimately couldn't get myself to finish it.
There were multiple things I did not like.
For one the main character is absolutely obsessed with her manipulative girlfriend who is permanently gaslighting her. Her therapist is absolutely unlikable, literally skipped all parts with her, because I got so upset reading them. Consent is often not explicitly given, more like assumed or pushed onto the main character. And I dont see the comparison to fifty shades of grey at all. I mean yes, the characters have sex constantly but it's only described very vaguely if at all.
Don't recommend it
There were multiple things I did not like.
For one the main character is absolutely obsessed with her manipulative girlfriend who is permanently gaslighting her. Her therapist is absolutely unlikable, literally skipped all parts with her, because I got so upset reading them. Consent is often not explicitly given, more like assumed or pushed onto the main character. And I dont see the comparison to fifty shades of grey at all. I mean yes, the characters have sex constantly but it's only described very vaguely if at all.
Don't recommend it
Before I begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this book I think something I kept in mind when reading was that this was meant to be humorous and not taken seriously. I think at first I started taking some things seriously and had I not reminded myself of that fact I would've put this book away. Julia suddenly becoming a lesbian was taken as a joke not just by Julia but by everyone around her. So when you read it just know it's an enjoyable light not to be taken seriously.
Normally I would read the description of this book, get embarrassed and put it down looking for something a lot tamer but after reading one chapter I couldn't do that. I couldn't even put it down once I read more so I put my embarrassment aside and read it everywhere that I went. Who cared that my face would betray me and let everyone know that I was reading something that made me blush? When you enjoy a book you want the world to know and read along with you.
Unfortunately, those were all of my thoughts prior to meeting Sam, once Sam was introduced into the book my opinions quickly changed. There were red flags from the instant that Julia got with Sam and all of the people surrounding her were warning her about the way that Sam was manipulating her. Julia failed to see any of this because she was so in love with Sam and while I was disturbed by Sam's actions I understood Julia's feelings. It was a good portrayal of what it is like to be enamored with someone to the point that you excuse their abusive tendencies and manipulative behavior. I found that some of the scenes that Sam was in and the actions that she took were too problematic for me to just look past and I found myself having a hard time reading through them.
There's a scene near the ending of the book that actually stuck with me and I was glad it was included. Julia talks about having nightmares about Sam and she says "it's hard to accept that you're the villain in someone else's story." I really resonated with this scene and found that it was a nice way for Julia to deal with that break up.
Normally I would read the description of this book, get embarrassed and put it down looking for something a lot tamer but after reading one chapter I couldn't do that. I couldn't even put it down once I read more so I put my embarrassment aside and read it everywhere that I went. Who cared that my face would betray me and let everyone know that I was reading something that made me blush? When you enjoy a book you want the world to know and read along with you.
Unfortunately, those were all of my thoughts prior to meeting Sam, once Sam was introduced into the book my opinions quickly changed. There were red flags from the instant that Julia got with Sam and all of the people surrounding her were warning her about the way that Sam was manipulating her. Julia failed to see any of this because she was so in love with Sam and while I was disturbed by Sam's actions I understood Julia's feelings. It was a good portrayal of what it is like to be enamored with someone to the point that you excuse their abusive tendencies and manipulative behavior. I found that some of the scenes that Sam was in and the actions that she took were too problematic for me to just look past and I found myself having a hard time reading through them.
There's a scene near the ending of the book that actually stuck with me and I was glad it was included. Julia talks about having nightmares about Sam and she says "it's hard to accept that you're the villain in someone else's story." I really resonated with this scene and found that it was a nice way for Julia to deal with that break up.
Thank you for using your voice to speak up for those who can’t. For those who struggle or have struggled with similar experiences. It’s definitely an important story to tell, even though it might be hard for some readers to relive what the brain is desperate to suppress. It’s quite therapeutic to not feel alone, I’d say, even though it hurts.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
i really enjoyed this book. I didn’t expect Julia’s relationships to be so dark, but I think it brought a good light to the way gay relationships can be just as toxic and manipulative as straight relationships. I like Julia a lot, and it was nice to read about someone finding their place in the queer community as a newly out person. I also liked the development of Julia’s non romantic relationships
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated