Reviews tagging 'Outing'

You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat

17 reviews

mscalls's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Infidelity, Outing, Toxic relationship, Islamophobia, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Lesbophobia, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Eating disorder

candournat's review against another edition

informative reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.5

I have such mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I loved it. It has great representation, and offers an exploration of the intersectionality of being queer and Palestinian. I loved the protagonist even though she was extremely unlikable and had so many flaws. 

But, the forgiveness and even defending of Greg after he admitted to taking advantage of a woman just really spoiled the entire book for me. It was such an unnecessary plot line that added absolutely nothing to the story, except maybe that the protagonist was very flawed — which we were already very aware of by this point in the book. 

I was also disappointed by the ending, I feel like we were introduced to some of the protagonists flings more than Anouk, and I don’t really feel that her mother’s homophobia was ever truly explored or given any sort of resolution. It was just implied that they had maybe? an OK relationship despite her mother hating that she was dating a woman. Maybe the resolve was supposed to be that her mother was just getting on with it but I just feel it could have been explored a bit more.

Despite this though, I did really enjoy the book and it did have a lot going for it — I loved the non linear narrative, and would recommend the book overall. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, and Addiction

Moderate: Alcohol, Outing, Biphobia, War, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, and Sexual assault

hanreadin's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Biphobia, Colonisation, Infidelity, Homophobia, Outing, Islamophobia, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Eating disorder and Drug abuse

nikki632's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Biphobia, Eating disorder, War, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Outing

lexkoi's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Eating disorder, Infidelity, and Sexual content

Moderate: Addiction, Biphobia, Outing, Mental illness, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Suicide, Misogyny, Death, War, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Drug abuse, Cursing, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Colonisation, Abandonment, and Xenophobia

202claire's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Sexual content

Moderate: Biphobia, Colonisation, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Outing, and Religious bigotry

whatannikareads's review against another edition

reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.0

i feel like incredibly neutral about this book, which i think could be worse than actively hating or loving this book. some of the pros about this book: i liked that the bisexual main character wasn't super stereotypical and clunky. for lack of a better way to put it, she felt normal in that she wasn't made to be an anomaly solely based on her queerness.

i enjoyed the short in-between chapters that took us into her palestinian heritage and childhood memories.

that being said, this book felt very fragmented, as if there were three different plot lines that weren't really woven together seamlessly. the writing is in first person, which made it feel a bit too simplistic--telling rather than showing. a bit past halfway, it just felt like the author was listing her relationships without going into enough depth for me to care. and the main character herself isn't really likable; she doesn't necessarily have to be, but it was hard for me to see the point in why she was dealing with the conflicts in her life. the ending just kind of ended, and didn't make me feel emotional or anything.

i think there were too many conflicts the author wanted to focus on--the strained relationship with her mother (which i wish we saw more of), her love addiction rehab journey, her toxic role in her relationships-- and i think the author would've benefitted from sticking to one or two conflicts and building a more linear plot around them.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body shaming, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Outing, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship