Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

My Dearest Darkest by Kayla Cottingham

7 reviews

kaynova's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Gore

Moderate: Homophobia

kolanya's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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? Yes

3.75

it’s a pretty good book—i found myself invested in the plot and what was going to happen next. i wasn’t super attached to all of the characters, but i cared about enough that it wasn’t a chore to get through or anything. there are lots of modern-day pop culture references, which are often a hit or miss in general. the writing style could use some polishing and the main character was a little plain, nothing special, but i did enjoy the wlw rep :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, Body horror, Car accident, and Death of parent

Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Outing

l_e_lavalle's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-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? N/A

4.25

Would recommend! It's a perfect rainy day read as well as a single day read.  I couldn't put it down from start to finish.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Car accident, and Death of parent

Moderate: Homophobia, Biphobia, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Alcohol, Mental illness, and Injury/Injury detail

mahitdzmare's review against another edition

dark lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Death of parent, and Death

Moderate: Outing, Gore, and Body horror

Minor: Alcohol, Biphobia, and Homophobia

thetinytrashcan's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-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

4.25

For a debut novel this book is executed extremely well. I loved all the characters in the book and appropriated that all the ensemble characters had important roles to play in the plot. Though most of the characters could have been explored more I never felt that any of them were bland or unnecessary which made me fall in love with this book. I loved the premise presented in the summary and found that the book did a pretty good job executing the lore of the story and presented background information in interesting ways that kept me engaged the whole time. The only reason this is book lost points in my book is because it wasn’t as much of a dark story as the summary presented and I don’t feel that it completely reached the mood it was trying to create.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Gore, and Grief

Moderate: Homophobia, Outing, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Suicide and Toxic relationship

meleac07's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

This book was absolutely BRILLIANT!! I fell into this reality with the characters and found myself connected and drawn to each character for all of their quirks and complexities. Each character was unique and so well thought out. I can not put into words the joy I felt from reading this. Coming from a queer person, the representation in this book is such a breath of fresh air. This book put me through a rollercoaster of emotions. From the cheesiest of lines to the most grotesque scenes, I found myself utterly swept away by the beauty and tangibility of Kayla Cottingham’s writing. So excited to read whatever she puts out next.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Car accident, Death of parent, Gore, and Gun violence

Moderate: Murder, Outing, Torture, Grief, Physical abuse, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Homophobia, and Biphobia

mraible18's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-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

4.5

An excellent debut YA novel from a fellow Emerson alumnus! An eerie Maine boarding school with a monster lurking in the depths AND a Sapphic romance? I really couldn't ask for much else! I'm already excited for Kayla's next book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore

Minor: Homophobia and Biphobia