Reviews tagging 'Eating disorder'

Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough

4 reviews

tgij's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

As someone who saw the adaptation first, I can say I really appreciate the book in all its detail: there is a lot of information to build up the story and give the reader an understanding of each character in all their flaws and complexities. It was very good at keeping me on the edge of my seat.

Adele is a genius of sorts, but Louise is an admirable character at times as well, with David in the middle and, while having a hand in the plot, is really stuck between them.

The spiritual/supernatural element is very prominent and is a huge reason for this story catching my eye in the first place.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Infidelity, Gaslighting, Grief, Stalking, Alcoholism, Addiction, Animal death, Murder, and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Abortion, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Eating disorder

smileyjayna's review

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Alcohol, Confinement, Drug use, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Dysphoria, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Murder, Death, Abandonment, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Violence, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Stalking, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Grief, Alcoholism, Drug use, Gaslighting, Animal cruelty, Suicide, Animal death, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Abandonment, and Child death

thecatsmum's review

dark medium-paced

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

2.75

After coincidentally running into and snogging the man who turns out to be her new boss, single mother Louise has an affair with him, and begins an unlikely friendship with his wife. This story is told mostly in alternating Louise and Adele (the wife) POV chapters as the story unfolds.

Honestly, I think it would have been a better book if it was mostly told from Louise's POV for the first half to three quarters of the book or if Pinborough handled Adele's POV chapters better. It felt like the story lost part of its momentum by allowing the reader to know too much too soon.

A bit into the book I realised I had seen the miniseries that was based on the book a few years ago, and I wasn't impressed by the ending then, and I guess I wasn't now. So, despite the prose feeling decent, there were too many problems for me to rate this higher.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Murder, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Suicide, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Classism, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Ableism, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Eating disorder, and Forced institutionalization

mikmocha's review

dark mysterious 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

0.25

I was incredibly disappointed by this book…

The beginning was great, I was captured by the story and kept wanting to dive deeper in. There was a lot of fatphobia going on in the first 95% of the book. 

But the ending….WTF was that??? The book quite literally could have ended with Adele switching bodies with Louise and that be that. Rob could have remained as a side character and his murder be the reason why Adele would want to switch into Louise’s body- to absolve David of any crime, a fresh start for Adele in Louise’s body and refocus on their relationship. 

But no, in the last couple of pages the only gay character (which we don’t find that fact out until the very end) is now the villain??? Who not only killed actual Adele, killed actual Louise but is now also planning on killing Louise’s child?? Wtf? This is feeding into a lot of homophobic tropes that are quite damaging and harmful. 

I would not suggest this book and I’m not reading more from this author.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia