Reviews with content warning for Physical abuse - Acts of Desperation

Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan

58 reviews

eralbesu's review

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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corina28's review

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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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quills4days's review

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dark emotional reflective sad 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

3.5

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icarusandthesun's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective tense fast-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

5.0

i think i might be in love.
when i read the synopsis i feared this was gonna be a very 'straight' book - romanticising toxic relationships, shallow and all that. but while this is undeniably still very straight, it's also self-aware, beautiful, painfully relatable at times, unhinged and so lovable.
it's got messy takes on obsession and love and features thoughts that sprang from a disturbed mind.
the book's full of terribly relatable things, vices and forbidden thoughts i was surprised to find were not confined to my own damned existence. it was all so specific and comforting and horrible.
the short chapters made this book quick, easy and lovely to read.
whimsical, yet comforting.

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caitlinggodfrey's review

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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bookwormfr_t0's review

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challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

4.25

Nolan's writing is incredibly full of depth and I can confidently say I have never read anything like this. We follow the narrator go through an unhealthy obsession with love and the toxic abuse she endures. I didn't necessarily "root" for the narrator, however, I couldn't stop reading it because it's like watching a car crash - you can't look away. There is so much commentary in such a short book (the female experience, losing yourself in someone else, mental illness, eating disorders and relationships with food, appeasing men, consent, etc.); it is an uncomfortable read so ensure to review the trigger warnings.

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redflyingbook's review against another edition

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Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

this surely was a quick read!

the narrator is a woman in her twenties, who meets a guy who she becomes immediately infatuated, and quickly downright obsessed with. here begins a - in the eyes of probably any clear thinking bystander - highly toxic relationship that mainly made me want to spit the guy right in his face for the excessively shitty behavior towards her. along the way, the book also explores the narrator's struggles with alcoholism, dependence, identity, body image, lust and love.

some trains of thought felt wildly familiar and definitely expressed complex feelings very boldly and clearly.
although the focus was probably also supposed to be more on the relationship dynamic , somehow i felt that the characters still lacked substance in some way? the ending part also felt unexpectedly extreme and not entirely well-paced in my opinion. still an interesting read that urges you ponder about uncomfortable but important topics.

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