Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Real Life by Brandon Taylor

128 reviews

dalek_caan's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

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

0.5

If I wasn't reading this for a book club I wouldn't have finished it. I don't understand at all what I was supposed to take away from this book other than grad school sucks. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

miss_cheevious's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Sexual assault

emk5's review against another edition

sad

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Fatphobia, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

nova123's review against another edition

• 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

Made me cry on the train as well. Very beautiful written book with an extremely emotional depiction of the life of a black gay man in the Midwest ... but also so unhopeful at the end that I'm not sure if I would recommend it 💀 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Homophobia, Vomit, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Fatphobia, Infidelity, and Classism

loganmedrano's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, and Blood

Minor: Death of parent

charliesbookshelf's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

best read this year so far.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

angelkisses's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

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

Don't know how to describe this except wow what an enthralling read. I was seriously hooked - the dialogue is so sharp and real, the description is seriously lush. Bravo, applause all around. I was feeling pain and had to stop reading several times to shout in frustration /pos. Reminded me of why I love reading.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence

Minor: Death

kailinlee's review against another edition

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Death of parent

mr_cain's review against another edition

4.75

All too real. Rips your heart in two and forces you to confront how you exist in the world.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Homophobia, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

Minor: Body shaming, Drug use, and Eating disorder

celinbean's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.75

Wallace truly is the og traumatized pathological people pleaser and it was a little heartbreaking to read his responses. All of this was honestly a lot to take in. This felt like a character study with wallace as the very observant narrator to whom no detail was too small but who also turned inward a lot to inspect his feelings. But despite that inward look i feel like we just reached the acknowledgement stage of his grief and trauma. 

The whole friend group actually gave me anxiety bc they were all so mean and almost indifferent to each others feelings? And unwilling to actually try to understand each other? I also wanted to root for miller so much but the ending was not… entirely satisfying with what he did. I would’ve liked it if wallace actually found someone who’s gentle and who stands up for him but i guess i would’ve had to read a romance book if i wanted a true happy ending 🥲

Nevertheless this was such an addictive read that was wholly unexpected because ive been in a kind of slump where ive only really been reading/ listening to audiobooks. I quite literally could not stop reading and that hasn’t happened for me in a while. The prose was stunningly beautiful.

TW: rape of a child, sexual assault of a child, racism, disordered eating + vomiting

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Violence, Vomit, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Racial slurs