Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan

57 reviews

gabriellegoldenhour's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

2.75

I recently found out that a new favorite genre of mine is “delulu females”, I thought this would be another but really it just gave me haunting reflections of my past. Not everything was the same, obviously, but feelings and scenarios of my youth in similar situations mirrored this unnamed narrator. I feel like when I started really liking the book it fell off and just stayed flat for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

ola_oreiba's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

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

0.5

I should’ve know from the name but I could never imagine for the life of me that someone could be so desperate. It was so jarring to read and I’ve never been this verbally furious at a protagonist before.

Reading Acts of Desperation felt like someone with ADHD that has to sit though someone telling them a bad story ever so slowly, it triggers all their senses and turns into pure rage. 

At times, I really wanted to sympathize with her and there were a couple of paragraphs and moments/thoughts towards the end that I vaguely agreed with but it couldn’t justify the prolonged and continued suffering for nothing. 

It annoyed me how the story was chaotic but predictable at the same time although I cannot fault the writing stylistically. It’s just the whole idea of the book is just pushing how desperate someone can be and how deep into desperation they can go and I think in that sense Megan Nolan is a completionist. Nobody can be more desperate.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

jen_nej's review against another edition

3.75

This book is a tough read but not a bad read. It feels like reading frenetic diary entries from a woman with an addiction to love, sex, and self-harm. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, and Self harm

literary_fey's review against another edition

dark emotional slow-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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

ciaranugent's review

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault

spaceodin's review

challenging dark emotional reflective

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

4.0

Loved the voice, but I have a feeling this one may not make much impact in my brain long term.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, and Self harm

kmartro's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Written like a collection of essays dedicated to every (heterosexual) woman's worst experience with love & sex.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Eating disorder, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body shaming

sydneybedell's review

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: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

sxfiash's review

dark tense fast-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

alinajanelle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship