Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson

45 reviews

amcghig's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infertility, Pregnancy, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Racial slurs, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Confinement, Miscarriage, Rape, Racism, Sexual assault, Abortion, and Suicide attempt

sloanefg's review against another edition

emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage

Moderate: Sexual assault and Medical trauma

Minor: Rape

meghan8715's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Grief, Infertility, Drug abuse, Medical trauma, Blood, Religious bigotry, Classism, Racial slurs, and Miscarriage

Minor: Alcoholism and Vomit

bookishbilingual's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring tense fast-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Infertility, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Racism, and Sexual assault

_theliteraturevillian_'s review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

5.0

It is very clear that Mrs.Johnson does VERY THROUGH research when writing historical fiction and are we not truly thankful for that? 

Again, I am stunned. ‘Yellow Wife’ made me a fan but ‘The House of Eve’ has made me a Stan 😩. This story was beautiful, but heartbreaking. I felt for Eleanor but Ruby, I wanted to embrace her in a way her mother couldn’t. 

This has been my best read so far this year. Can’t wait for what Mrs.Johnson has in store for us next…

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Racism, Abortion, Abandonment, Classism, Grief, Infertility, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, and Sexual assault

smkelly1997's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

I was continuously drawn in throughout this book. It was hard to but down, heartbreaking, and yet an amazing read. I loved the intertwining and parallels between Ruby and Eleanor. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexism, Classism, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Grief, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Religious bigotry, Forced institutionalization, and Infertility

eleasereads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Classism, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Abortion, Sexual content, Racism, Pregnancy, Medical trauma, and Abandonment

micalyia's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I ate this book tf up. It was so interesting to me. I was hooked from start to finish, I wanted to know how Eleanor and Ruby would affect each other so badly and the twists and turn along the way kept me on the edge of my seat. 

I didn’t read the blurb so I really had no clue what to expect which I think helped in the intrigue of the story. 

I loved that we saw background on the characters as this helped them to feel whole. I was able to truly empathize and understand their decisions (even if I didn’t agree with them).

I would 100% recommend that you read the authors note cause when you do you’re going to want to cry for all the women this novel was inspired by.

This book could be highly triggering for some though, so check those out. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Medical trauma, Alcoholism, Child death, Racism, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Medical content, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, and Rape

kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

✨️ The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson ✨️

Ms. Johnson, excuse me, I think you dropped this ... 👑

I absolutely loved Yellow Wife and The House of Eve was no different. Sadeqa Johnson is 💯 an auto-buy author for me!

In the 1950s, we meet two main characters. Ruby, a 15-year-old in Philadelphia, striving for a full-ride scholarship to college and the first in her family to attend, and Eleanor in DC, who marries into an elite wealthy Black family who doesn't let just anyone in. Eventually, these two characters' stories come together in an unexpected way.

I loved both POVs and could not stop reading! If I had to take a break, I was thinking about when I could get back to reading it again. There are so many layers to these stories, these characters. You know when you receive a gift, and it's wrapped so nicely, and you open it, and it's another box to unwrap, and inside that box is another box, and another box, until you get to the final box with the gift? Reading The House of Eve is like that, except each unwrapping is another gift itself.

(Also, hi, it's me, I wrap gifts like that sometimes to trick the recipient 😂)

The characters were complete, whole characters with flaws. Many harboring secrets, many with unresolved trauma, and all fighting a battle of their own. The writing was excellent, raw, and beautiful. This book is unafraid to explore heavy, taboo topics and dark pasts that we choose to ignore.

This book will stay with me. I will be thinking about it for a long time.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

⚠️CWs: sexual assault of a child, classism, racism, alcoholism, infertility & miscarriage, pregnancy. Check StoryGraph for others mentioned.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Classism, Pregnancy, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexism, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Body shaming, and Infertility

mamaofperfectpayton's review against another edition

emotional sad tense fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Medical trauma, and Racism