Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

4 reviews

leslie_overbookedsocialworker's review against another edition

emotional mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gaslighting, Dementia, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Cancer, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Racism, Alcoholism, Grief, and Murder

nikkiahaley's review against another edition

4.25

 Wow. I have never had an audiobook make me cry before. This book did it 3 times. The book we follow Joe and Norma in a story that comes down to grief and family. It is a geniunelly heartbreaking story that at numerous times i had to stop as I was crying.

The story overarching topic is one of family, grief, addiction, abuse, and neglect.

The first 40% ish I was actually really struggling to connect with the characters. I do find sometimes with dual timelines that is the case. But around the 40% mark there was a switch. There were times were I hated and loved almost every single character.

Joe is Mi’kmaq , when he and his siblings are young, his youngest sister Ruthie doesn't come home. We find out that Ruthie is actually Norma. Norma's "parents" saw her the day she walked off and took her. The entire plot is really a story about how Indigenous women are mistreated and abused (even if limited physical abuse actually happens in the story) in both Canada and the United States.

The way Norma's entire "family" truly believed that they had done nothing wrong killled me. I do not know how Aunt June said she was "protecting her family" but failed to protect a little girl. June kept saying how much her mother was "afraid to lose" Norma, but never acknowledged how much Ruthie's family had actually experienced because of Norma's "mother".

June should go to prison for kidnapping.

Also this book should never be marketed or assumed to be a thriller/mystery. It 100% is not. Who ever decided to market it as such needs to read this book. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

rsagarin's review

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Racial slurs, Kidnapping, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Racism

Moderate: Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Infertility, Mental illness, Xenophobia, Grief, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Cancer, Cursing, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Classism, Colonisation, Dementia, Drug use, Addiction, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship

alexisgarcia's review

dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.25

i think the pacing in this is a bit off, but this is a really good book overall. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Child death, Colonisation, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Grief, Infertility, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Terminal illness, Racism, Death, Child abuse, Classism, Cursing, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Drug use, and Emotional abuse