Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Beach Read by Emily Henry

8 reviews

shiradfrankel's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol

rayyc's review against another edition

4.75

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Addiction, Vomit

erikaraz's review against another edition

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol

cordially_phoenix's review against another edition

3.75

emotional funny hopeful reflective relaxing sad slow-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

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This book is...

Good for: People who want a contemporary romance with a little bit of spice and a heaping side of grief. Perfect for those trying to learn to love life again.

Not great for: People who want something super lighthearted OR something on the spicy side.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent

Moderate: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Vomit

Minor: Torture, Fire/Fire injury

cherryfreckle's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse

Minor: Child death, Torture, Fire/Fire injury

lucielockettreads's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional funny fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Emily Henry just knows how to write banter without it sounding really cringe. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Alcohol

Minor: Misogyny, Torture, Vomit

sunflowerlu's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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So…this is a (purposefully) misleading title, and I couldn’t be happier that it drew me in. By the end, I was ugly-crying and smiling through it. Sweet, romantic, steamy, heartbreaking, and so, so much more than I expected. It deeply resonated with me in many ways, and I fell in love with the characters and the writing, after going through the same thing with People We Meet On Vacation. Definitely one of my favourite books now!
I’d recommend going in without knowing much about the plot, and let it take you away. You won’t regret it, even through the ugly-crying at the end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent

Moderate: Cancer, Physical abuse, Murder

Minor: Addiction, Torture, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury

btg's review against another edition

5.0

hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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A truly spectacular romance book, "Beach Read" gets my five-star rating for the following reasons: 

1. Despite being a romance book, it doesn't feel like eating pure sugar. By including Gus's character, Henry creates a world that is, at times, truly awful -- and yet the characters manage to earn their happy ending anyway. 
2. A spectacularly creative premise, grounded in realistic experience
3. The wonderful emotional hurt/comfort scenes that hit all the notes 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Death of parent

Moderate: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Suicide, Torture

Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse

The premise of the book starts with the death of a major character's parent, and one major character arc is on reconciling that character's adultery. Main characters discuss a parent's previous battle with cancer, but the cancer remains in remission throughout the entire book timeline and said character only shows up a couple of times. A side plot on the book focuses on investigating a suicide cult; multiple side characters interview with the main characters, describing specifics (though not graphically) and at one point the main characters visit the site of the cult. Physically and emotionally abusive practices of the cult are discussed, though again, not graphically. A major character has a backstory of emotional and physical abuse from a parent which largely forms their character arc. The abuse itself is never depicted, but is discussed and consequences are clear in the character's actions.

Said major character admits to having a mental health disorder, taking medication and being in therapy; it's a one-off line, and the specifics of this and diagnosis in question are never discussed.

A major character vomits in the carnival scene, prompting the other major character to admit they are emotophobic. Said emetophobia is brought up a couple more times (sometimes in a teasing fashion), but usually handled respectfully. If a reader skips a few lines, they can get past the part of the vomit scene that is potentially triggering.