Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Animal: A Novel by Lisa Taddeo

76 reviews

ktwoolen's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

I loved this story but as a mother I was so triggered and disturbed by so much of the dialog and imagery. Truly a heartbreaking read for me. A lot of reviews said it’s about how being in your 30s can make you want to kill- but to me it was about how parent trauma and send you on a spiral of self degradation, and how being treated like you’re disposable by everyone that’s ever come into your life can make you want to kill. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Rape, Suicide, Infertility, Abortion, Alcohol, Blood, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Murder, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Sexism, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Addiction, Gaslighting, Dementia, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Vomit, Mental illness, and Physical abuse

Really hard mother/daughter trauma to get through, along with detailed description of a miscarriage.

haileyeh's review against another edition

dark sad medium-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

3.0

Uhhhhhhhh…..ok then

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Sexual content, Blood, Car accident, Child death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Murder, Rape, and Suicide

Moderate: Pedophilia, Stalking, and Vomit

Minor: Infertility, Abortion, and Cursing

judyhagan's review against another edition

dark emotional funny 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? It's complicated

5.0

Evocative, poignant, gut-punchingly heart-rending, harrowing: I was rapt until the end. I don't have words for how this gripped me and tore me apart. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Dementia, Death of parent, Gun violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Rape, Murder, Death, Suicide, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Child death, Infidelity, Drug use, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Vomit, Blood, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Sexual assault

laedyred's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

This is one of the best novels on the effects of generational and sexual trauma I have ever read. This is not a story of redemption or hopeful new beginnings. Joan is an utterly real person, and we see the contradiction and pain living inside her without the fluff of a character built to be a turned-hero. The first half of the book is a stream of consciousness and can drag at times. However, a piece like this is not to entertain. Its goal is not to inform or enlighten. This is an expression of pain taken at face value. Those who have not experienced what Joan describes cannot fully grasp what this text does. Although feminism is a huge motif, the modern interpretation of the "girl boss" is nowhere seen. Joan's rage mimics the violence that builds through oppression and abuse, steering her to act out. She is not a hero, but she is also not an anti-hero. She is a person, she is a woman, she is an expression of those who know.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Death, Drug use, Grief, Murder, Sexism, Misogyny, Abandonment, Infidelity, Blood, Death of parent, Infertility, Sexual harassment, Abortion, Child abuse, Suicide, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, and Sexual assault

pourquoipas's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.75

 I don’t even know where to go from there. This book was a gut punch followed by a sucker punch and then a big hug. 
The beginning was a bit too slow. It’s difficult making a connection with the protagonist, but towards the end Taddeo is able to make the reader some sympathy towards her. 
At times I found myself wondering if I had missed a page. The transitions are fast, the details are painful and tormenting, and the emotions are deep and disturbing. 

Lots of triggers not for everyone. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, and Child abuse

Moderate: Child death and Violence

Minor: Pregnancy, Drug use, and Toxic relationship

daniellelikesbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Miscarriage, Drug use, Pedophilia, and Suicide

alex_likesbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

4.25

i loved and hated this book. It was SO slow and heavy in the beginning but when everything started unraveling i couldn’t put it down. It was super depraved (duh) and dark and disturbing. I do wish i read TWs before just to know what i was getting into, I went in blind. I did like the portrait of female rage portrayed and a lot of the points brought up about how women are viewed by society and by men. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Infidelity, Child abuse, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Death of parent, Drug use, Grief, Suicide, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, and Infertility

clairebartholomew549's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

3.0

I don't know how to feel about this book. I resonated with a lot of its themes and assertions about the ceaseless violence men commit against women and the ways our entire inner lives are shaped by the men we're exposed to, and I appreciated Joan's unabashed commitment to voicing the darkest parts of herself. But I found the plot kind of tiring, definitely disturbing, and vaguely performative; it felt a little redundant of other books I've read like it before, like The Girls and Bright Young Women, and it was not an enjoyable read.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infertility, Sexism, Death, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Gore, Pregnancy, Rape, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Blood, Death of parent, Dementia, Drug use, Violence, Grief, and Vomit

jasannalise's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

3.0

CHECK THE TW’S FOR CHRISSAKES OH MY GOD I WASNT READY
was expecting a promising young woman kind of vibe but this was something else entirely. honestly have no idea what to think. taddeo is gifted at painting a picture with words, just feels like this book was trauma porn. like not a single thing was pleasant in this , but i somehow couldn’t stop reading 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Vomit, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Death of parent, Drug use, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Infidelity

itsbilliam's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

please please look up TW’s before reading this book. i will never be the same person after this read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Abortion, Rape, Sexual assault, Death, Miscarriage, Dementia, Toxic friendship, Pregnancy, Murder, Sexual violence, Drug use, Pedophilia, and Blood