Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan

50 reviews

venti's review

dark sad tense 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

3.75

narrator should have murdered ciaran. she was in love with lisa 🏃🏻‍♀️🤷‍♀️

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Grief and Gaslighting

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

nikylela's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria

ireneac's review against another edition

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Sexual content, and Gaslighting

saintsramz's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

4.0

i hate them. ugly ass relationship. could neva be me. they need therapists. I will say though i love the way love is spoken about very very interesting for someone like me who thought they could never be worthy of love. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Gaslighting

my girlfriend made me read this… and like i don’t even know this lady’s name but i hate her. good for her though.

camillej's review

dark reflective tense medium-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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Minor: Death and Medical content

v7738v773's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

2.0

I thought I’d like this book more than I did. The brutal honesty und accuracy with which the author describes the protagonist’s emotions and behaviors were intriguing, but I just didn’t feel good reading this book. It was hard to get into at first and the last third just made me feel dragged down. I didn’t really want to continue reading but did so for the sake of finishing the book. Maybe more fitting for someone else, as I just didn’t feel connected to the main character, especially towards the end. I found it too dark and just couldn’t relate to the overall mindset. Reading this book felt like a toxic and abusive experience with an ending that was neither conclusive nor developed enough for me. Wouldn’t read again and wouldn’t really recommend to a friend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Abandonment

lilylovespink's review

emotional hopeful reflective 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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

fatkidatheartreads's review against another edition

dark

3.5

What great writing, but also what a terrible, unhinged and toxic relationship! I'm not even going to judge her because I was a few steps away from her self sabotage mannerisms when I myself almost fell for a narcissistic bag of red flags like Mr Ciaran himself. Let me just tell you, 😭. I'm glad I escaped, and so did she, kinda???! 

Love addiction, self sabotaging, unhinged behavior, ghosting and love bombing are insane...but they can happen to any one of us. I appreciate this book for discussing such a harrowing and obsessive relationship.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

lauraegan's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I have never read a book as visceral and heartbreaking as this. Any earlier in my recovery and I couldn't have finished it, yet it still had me grimacing on the bus at my pain and hers. It felt so exposing and gratifying at once to see the feminine experience spelled out like this. The characters motives and mannerisms matched icons of my own life, and I felt shame for finding my own self-hatred in hers. When you're ready to face your relationships with yourself and others this is it, but read with caution as it may bring up some very hard feelings about sex and relationships. Whenever I need a wake up call about how I used to carry myself and still sometimes do this book is where I will always return.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

thesawyerbean's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad 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

Wow, this was incredible. The writing was so raw, vulnerable and personal, and yet utterly intoxicating. 

The book centred on the whirlwind ‘romance’ between the narrator and Ciaran, laying bare the destructive force of obsessive love on the self. The narrator’s point of view, despite being unnamed, was so intimate that you felt everything that she went through. 

Interweaved with the affecting prose was nuanced and edifying commentary on sex, gender, consent, power and patriarchy, the male gaze and the violence of sex. The flash-forwards to 2019 Athens were rich and clear in these perspectives, providing a stunning contrast to the dizziness of the narrator’s thoughts and experiences in the main timeline. 

Overall, a staggering and important debut which left me stewing in thought for a while after.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail