Reviews tagging 'Injury/Injury detail'

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult, Jennifer Finney Boylan

97 reviews

stephanieswilley's review against another edition

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Violence, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Blood, Car accident, Abortion, Outing, and Alcohol

mollyb13's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Such a beautiful and heartbreaking novel. I went into this without knowing exactly what it was about and this was so much more than the courtroom drama I first thought it was going to be. The authors blended their writing seamlessly and I enjoyed the alternating POVs. Highly highly recommend this to everyone (though please be mindful of the content warnings because some very heavy topics are discussed).

The only thing that I had a bit of trouble with was

that some of the passages explaining gender and transitioning and the experiences of transgender people felt a bit forced. These passages, while packed with important information, came off as an educational aside and really kind of jolted me out of the story. I wish that they would have worked this information into the plot more seamlessly. This feeding of information made more sense in the courtroom setting where it could be realistically explained to a jury, but otherwise felt almost like the authors were breaking the fourth wall. 

Despite this, I'm keeping my rating at 5 stars. I don't think it is enough to bring down what was otherwise a very powerful novel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Outing, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Blood and Injury/Injury detail

kimveach's review against another edition

emotional informative mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

I didn't know anything about this book besides that it was by one of my favorite authors.   I'm glad I didn't because it made the story more surprising and exciting.   I highly recommend it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcohol

norwegianforestreader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

rachelmerrie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

So so so so so necessary.

Hated part of the ending: (VAGUE SPOILER)
Why did she get a slap on the wrist when he would’ve had his whole life taken from him? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

gondorgirl's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Suicide attempt, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Death, Transphobia, and Murder

catreadbook's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Self harm, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Moderate: Deadnaming, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Outing, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

bitesizedbeet's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Outing, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Infidelity, Sexual content, Medical content, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, and Alcohol

aecy's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

Okaaay. I can’t read another book without reviewing this one first. I’ve read many good reviews about this novel after it came out, and I decided to read it when it was @bookclubbabes.pod’s pick for February’s book of the month. I thought this would be an easy read, and boy, was I wrong?

‼ SPOILERS AHEAD ‼

Reading the first few chapters, I thought the pacing was too slow and that it was going to be the usual whodunnit story where the least obvious one is the murderer, but I’m a sucker for whodunnit tropes so I continued reading. Then, the bomb was dropped halfway through the book. I was utterly shocked, but I liked that the plot developed the way it did because, in my case, it opened so many inner conversations. And story-wise, it raised a plethora of questions, which made the book so much more interesting and relevant.

After the revelation that Lily was a transgender woman, I knew that the prosecution would paint Lily’s death as a hate crime. I was still suspicious at this point about whether or not Asher killed Lily, but as the story progressed, I found myself wondering if it was even really murder in the first place. Events that happened in the past unfolded very slowly, but it was good that the authors did it that way because it almost felt like Lily was opening up to me. Everything was her story to tell, and I felt like I just had to wait until she was ready to reveal her truth. There was this thing that Lizzie told Olivia about learning the difference between secret and private, and for me, that was one of the main points of the book.

I pride myself on being an ally of the LGBTQ+ community, but my concepts about their struggles were challenged, and I came to realize that I really didn’t know the full extent of the discrimination they face. As written in the book, "If you want to understand something, you first need to accept the fact of your own ignorance."

When it was revealed that Asher did not, in fact, murder Lily, I was relieved but slightly annoyed that Maya did it and wasn’t charged at all. Although I understand that Ava may not be able to survive another trial while still grieving for her daughter. I also think Ava believed Asher harmed Lily because her grief was so intense, and she could only assume the worst knowing Lily had gone through so much simply because she shared her true self with the world. But if I’m really being honest, I was annoyed because I had guessed the "murderer" wrong, lol. I had my eyes on Braden the whole time because he’s proven to be violent.

The real heroes of this book are both mothers, Olivia and Ava, who did everything to protect their children. Overall, I rate the book 4.5 stars out of 5 only because the story pacing was a little slow for my liking. Now, I rest my mind and hope to find another book as good as this one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, and Grief

Moderate: Hate crime, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Deadnaming, Sexual content, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

emmalyn_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

It took me a few days to process this story and I think I am finally ready to write my review. 
This was a HARD story to read with a serious nod to some pretty heavy topics such as domestic abuse, transphobia, suicidal attempts, death, bullying, sexual assault, physical abuse, self harm, child abuse, abortion (briefly mentioned) and murder. 
I really, really enjoyed this book. I found it very thought provoking, mysterious, gripping and educational on

trans experiences.

I went into this book VERY blind (I didn't know what category to set it under lol) and I was very impressed to learn that it was cowritten and you couldn't notice the "hiccup" in the styles what so ever. This is the first Picoult book I wrote and I am happy to say I will return to her. 
This very gripping, emotional and dark book covers a lot of dark things, as mentioned above. 
I loved the back stories as well. I loved seeing how Olivia, through trauma colored glasses, could see her son doing those things to Lily. Trauma often clouds our perception and what's in front of us in all future relationships and seeing that so broadly shown, unabashedly, was strongly appreciated. I feel that was portrayed well with Olivia and even Lily and even some in Asher. 
Things that I really hated about this book that cost it a star: the END. Almost everything about the end of this book pissed me off. 

You are REALLY going to wait til the last chapter to show that it was Maya that caused Lily's death and then have her picked up, questioned and AQUITTED. Where tf was Asher's acquittal?? Why did HE get sentenced and tried? Also, why did it take them SO long to get a second opinion on her death certificate? Wouldn't that have been step one? To rule out any underlying medical conditions that might have been missed? Also, I can't help but feel this was a set up to get Mike and Olivia talking, which is just *shudder*.

So overall, a very moving, dark, challenged, sad read but one I thoroughly enjoyed; until the last chapter anyways. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Suicide attempt, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Abortion