Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney

29 reviews

pageafter_paige's review

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

This was a super quick read that kept me on my toes! I loved how the chapters jumped between diary entries from childhood, present time, and the week leading up to her coma. Even though the title is called Sometimes I Lie I was still fooled a few times hahaha but overall I felt the ending was predictable once a certain big secret was revealed. I do love Alice’s writing and I find it super engaging. I’m not a huge fan of how it all ended in the last chapter but overall I enjoyed the story! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Car accident, Child abuse, Classism, Cursing, Miscarriage, Murder, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Infertility, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Violence

coffeebookssleep's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Car accident, Bullying, Addiction, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Alcohol, Rape, Abandonment, Murder, and Stalking

velvetreads_'s review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Death of parent, Child death, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Murder, Sexual assault, Stalking, Death, and Miscarriage

Moderate: Infertility, Addiction, Alcohol, and Grief

Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Gaslighting, and Drug abuse

nat_foerster's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Rape, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Addiction and Alcoholism

Minor: Death of parent, Cancer, Death, and Bullying

marieqc's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

content warnings: rape, abuse, murder, etc. there's a lot
it was entertaining until it got too graphic for me

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, Medical content, Abandonment, Abortion, Car accident, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Blood, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Rape, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence

spelledlikesleigh's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Rape, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Bullying, Car accident, and Murder

elle_laine's review against another edition

dark tense fast-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

4.25

This book was one heck of a ride…

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Stalking, Car accident, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, and Rape

Moderate: Blood, Addiction, Miscarriage, Bullying, Death of parent, and Vomit

Minor: Cursing

aselin's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Medical content, Miscarriage, Murder, Sexual assault, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Rape, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Alcohol, Infertility, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Grief, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

magellen's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense 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

3.0

While the plot is twisty and really takes flight at about 75%, you spend most of the book bludgeoned by the phrase 'let herself go' or some adjacent negative assessment regarding every single woman in the book. Seriously it is exhausting, it rises in most chapters, whether it's a pov talking about herself, or her mother, or a coworker, just an endless loop of hate that doesn't add anything and makes the book feel particularly dated. 

The book is a great example of unreliable narration but is likewise tedious in stretches where the mc walks forward and backwards through her thoughts with zero self trust and yes, toxic relationships do instill distrust in one's self, but it just feels like bloat in the narrative when it doesn't stop. Likewise it breaks your trust in all the narratives, breaks the momentum the book has built and becomes a muddle halfway thru. Intentionally done and layered as it is it mostly works but I feel like I only began enjoying the book in the last quarter and prior to that it was simply 'welcome to untreated paranoia'.

Matters did hit a hat on a hat level as the book progressed. An antagonist born of the antagonist born of the protagonist. Yes Edward is a successful red herring but god what a loose thread that could have not been in the book at all except for sexual violence. While I'm pleased for the mc cleaning up her psycho sister in the end (gotta think with your head and not your fists, well done taylor) the bracelet reemerging had me rolling my eyes. Just close it out, jesus christ.

Every character is unlikable, no one ever has an honest conversation and yes sure Sometimes I lie, but the inconsistency and internalized body judgement gets in the way of it being a truly satisfying read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Body shaming, Car accident, Confinement, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, and Rape

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, Bullying, Death of parent, and Medical content

Minor: Kidnapping, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Miscarriage

ekmook's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Pregnancy, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Violence, Alcohol, Bullying, Grief, Sexual violence, Blood, Death, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship