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angelajzhu's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
krys_kilz's review
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This book was a challenging read. It focuses heavily on abusive family dynamics and intergenerational trauma, but I don't think it crossed the line into exploitation or trauma porn. Instead it really encompassed how all consuming abusive relationships can be and the way trauma impacts memory and one's sense of self.
The relationship between Lily and her mother was particularly powerful. I appreciated how Mei's own traumas were revealed as Lily slowly began to unravel why her mother was the way she was. And I also appreciate that Lily still left in the end and didn't necessarily forgive her mother's actions. Her mother's own history of abuse was an explanation, not an excuse for her behavior.
I would also just like to note, I wouldn't really consider this book to be a thriller. It has somewhat similar pacing along with the slowly unraveling storylines, but it's different. I'm not sure why it was marketed that way on Storygraph.
tw: abuse, trauma, self harm, r*pe
The relationship between Lily and her mother was particularly powerful. I appreciated how Mei's own traumas were revealed as Lily slowly began to unravel why her mother was the way she was. And I also appreciate that Lily still left in the end and didn't necessarily forgive her mother's actions. Her mother's own history of abuse was an explanation, not an excuse for her behavior.
I would also just like to note, I wouldn't really consider this book to be a thriller. It has somewhat similar pacing along with the slowly unraveling storylines, but it's different. I'm not sure why it was marketed that way on Storygraph.
tw: abuse, trauma, self harm, r*pe
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, and Self harm
Moderate: Car accident and Fire/Fire injury
reflexivecorpus's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
mendthecat's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
aigreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Infidelity and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Car accident
blundershelf's review
3.75
wow okay that scared the shit out of me and made me cry
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Medical trauma
megatza's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault
brittneys_book_shelf's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Special thanks to Astra Publishing House for a digital copy of Bad Fruit via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This opinions are my own.
Expected Publication Date August 23rd 2022
Where do I begin? I don't think this is a book anyone would describe as a book they "enjoyed". Bad Fruit, is dark, emotional, twisted, and sad. Very "Mommie Dearest" meets "The Act". This story highlights young Lily's difficulties with an emotional. manipulative, abusive mother, May. Delving deep into the subject of generational abuse, Bad Fruit explores the reasons behind abuse, how different people deal with the abuse, as well as science behind why most victims block it out. Lily is her mothers favorite, or is she? One day Lily begins having flashbacks that are so intense they make her sick, but are they hers? Triggered by words and objects, Lily's flashbacks grow more intense, sending her down a difficult road to the answers she so desperately needs. Bad Fruit was difficult to read but even harder to put down. Major trigger warnings! This will be a difficult read for most. However, there is light in the turn of the last page.
Expected Publication Date August 23rd 2022
Where do I begin? I don't think this is a book anyone would describe as a book they "enjoyed". Bad Fruit, is dark, emotional, twisted, and sad. Very "Mommie Dearest" meets "The Act". This story highlights young Lily's difficulties with an emotional. manipulative, abusive mother, May. Delving deep into the subject of generational abuse, Bad Fruit explores the reasons behind abuse, how different people deal with the abuse, as well as science behind why most victims block it out. Lily is her mothers favorite, or is she? One day Lily begins having flashbacks that are so intense they make her sick, but are they hers? Triggered by words and objects, Lily's flashbacks grow more intense, sending her down a difficult road to the answers she so desperately needs. Bad Fruit was difficult to read but even harder to put down. Major trigger warnings! This will be a difficult read for most. However, there is light in the turn of the last page.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Rape
Moderate: Emotional abuse
sophiareads_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings: parental abuse, domestic abuse, self harm, slut shaming/victim blaming, sexual abuse, rape (mentioned)
This novel is an exploration of trauma and as such deals with a lot of very heavy subjects. Please take all the content warnings into serious consideration if you need to.
Lily has spent her life striving to appease her emotionally volatile mother. Though Lily is on the brink of gaining independence when she moves to Oxford for university, her relationship with her mother grows even more complex and strained when Lily begins to get flashbacks which are not her own, but are snippets of her mother's traumatic past.
Wow. It's been a while since a novel has left me so emotionally floored. 'Loved' doesn't feel like the correct term, because this is such a heavy book, but I am incredibly impressed by it, and I certainly don't think I'll forget this one any time soon. Aside from a very engaging writing style, the story is easy to get drawn into, as the reader spends the narrative unravelling the stories of Lily and her mother. The depiction of inherited trauma and cycles of abuse is at times tough to read, but ultimately very well done, and handled with a lot of kindness. The novel's exploration of the complexity of relationships and different facets of people is also excellent. This was quite a difficult book to assign a star rating to for me, but the success of balancing the emotional gut punch it gave with clear tones of sympathy, love, and hope made this a five star read.
Thank you to NetGalley, Ella King, and HarperFiction for the ARC of Bad Fruit.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Self harm
Minor: Rape and Sexual violence
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