melanieripple's reviews
84 reviews

The Women by Kristin Hannah

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective sad

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, and War

She's Always Hungry by Eliza Clark

dark

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Eating disorder, Self harm, Sexual violence, and Cannibalism

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child death, Confinement, Drug use, Pedophilia, Vomit, and Death of parent

Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths by Natalie Haynes

funny informative reflective

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Suicide, Grief, and Murder

Paris: The Memoir by Paris Hilton

emotional inspiring reflective

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Grief

Moderate: Alcoholism, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault

Minor: Miscarriage and Abortion

Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

Absolutely stunning writing. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism and Police brutality

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

adventurous dark emotional

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse

Minor: Body horror

You're the Only One I've Told: The Stories Behind Abortion by Meera Shah

emotional informative

5.0

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry

dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction

Minor: Medical content

Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder

reflective

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, and Blood

Incredible. A beautifully written, thought-provoking book about identity and motherhood and womanhood and so much else.

Short note: I love the choice of not even giving her a name and only referring to her as “the mother” until she goes through her Transformation. That in and of itself can be a whole discussion of identity and erasure and so much else.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, and Grief

Moderate: Rape, Suicide, and Sexual harassment