Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Normal People by Sally Rooney

912 reviews

jennaviolet's review

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Eating disorder, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Bullying, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

eliya's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

This is written so beautifully. The narration is so heartbreakingly aware of minute details that make interactions meaningful. There were so many times listening to this book that I thought “yes!! that!!” at something that i’ve experienced interpersonally and wasn’t able to verbalize myself before. 

The chapters are written not like a story, but like a painful memory that the author is recounting for us as we try to understand what went wrong, where. This felt so real to me. 

Listening to the audiobook was a treat, the vocal performance was as stunning and empathetic. I plan on obtaining a copy of this book for myself and rereading it in a few years, just long enough so that I can forget enough of it to love it a second time. I loved this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Violence

Moderate: Abandonment, Death of parent, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Gore, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Suicide, War, and Fatphobia

leonie01's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Abandonment, and Sexual content

kye_7423's review against another edition

Toxic relationship, straight people sicken me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment

maya_28's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Blood, Violence, Alcohol, Death, Eating disorder, and Classism

elizabethww's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-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

3.0

Not an awful book, but weak and lazy ending. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Classism, Cursing, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicide, and Toxic relationship

heresyourletter's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-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

2.5

I liked the pacing of the book and had a hard time putting it down. That being said, the writing style wasn’t my favourite. There were also a lot of political views that were thrown in for no reason (not related to plot or character development), in a holier-than-thou, preaching sort of way (which even as a progressive, can be annoying).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Sexual content, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Gaslighting, Addiction, and Bullying

Minor: Vomit, Abortion, Infidelity, and Suicide

Characters smoke cigarettes throughout the book. The two main characters have sex frequently (but the descriptions aren’t super graphic). Throughout the book, the main characters hurt each other emotionally by making big decisions that affect their relationship, without communicating with the other person. Both main character experience bullying at different points in the book. Class conflict throughout the book, as one main character is wealthy and the other is working class. One character argues that a woman (who doesn’t actually appear in the story) should have an abortion because she doesn’t have a job and isn’t in a relationship with the father. One character drinks until they vomit.

When the two main characters first get together, one is embarrassed to be seen in public with the other, so they keep their relationship a secret. One main character is verbally (and occasionally physically) abused by their family, then gaslighted by their family members whenever the abuse happens. This culminates in the main character’s nose being broken after trying to escape from a family member. The scene is intense and the injury is rather graphic. One main character experiences rural discrimination upon moving from a small town in Sligo to Dublin for university. The female main character is a masochist, getting into relationships with men who physically and emotionally abuse her. One main character is diagnosed with depression and put on medication. One main character is mugged. There is a brief description of the injury. Two characters share a bed and almost have sex, despite being in relationships with other people. One minor character dies by suicide.

hailey_brueggen's review

emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

3.25

i literally don’t know how to feel abt this book 🙃

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Alcohol

Minor: Blood, Death, and Drug use

saramassoudi's review against another edition

emotional tense 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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Body shaming, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Classism, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Death of parent, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Vomit, and Suicidal thoughts

blackaliss's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Emotional abuse, and Suicide

Moderate: Bullying, Sexual harassment, and Sexual content