Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

The Sinner by Shantel Tessier

15 reviews

book_lover_irl's review against another edition

I just can't do it. I cannot finish The Sinner by Shantel Tessier. I knew it was a dark romance but this is something else. I've read plenty of dark romances and enjoyed most of them. I read Still Beating by Jennifer Hartman, Pretty Little Savage by Lucy Smoke, Riches to Riches by Ames Mills and Mindf*ck Series by S.T. Abby. Those had dark themes and tropes. The Sinner feels like it is ENCOURAGING violence against women, pleasure of a man above the humanity of a woman, and straight up awful misogyny - expecting women to quietly slip back into the 1950s. with zero rights over their own bodies. 

I guess I have discovered a trope I cannot condone -- dub con and consensual non-consensual. I might also have an intolerance for bully romances. Previously I didn't think I had many TWs, now I know better.

I cannot get on board with the violence that continues to happen to poor Ellington. Every time I think perhaps Sin / Easton is mellowing a teensy bit to be a less despicable human being (not even good -- just less horrific), he proves that violence in the name of his s3xual pleasure is king and he has zero regard for Elli. I get that, in theory, someone who has been abused so severely for years may have a skewed idea of what intimacy and pleasure should be. However, I cannot understand why Sin wouldn't at least attempt to give Elli pleasure in a way that isn't straight up considered sexual assault and abuse. Try BDSM and drop the need to make her bleed and cry. If Elli is never shown a different way to experience pleasure, how will she know if she does or does not like it?

I know my opinions will be unpopular and I totally get it if you love this book and these tropes. I'm not here to yuck your yum. I'm simply unable to hop on that train and enjoy the ride. I really wanna know how The Sinner ends, but not enough to keep reading the book. 2025 is supposed to be the year that I embrace DNF if a book isn't for me, so here I am. Cheers to The Sinner being my first DNF for 2025.

Stars: 0 -- DNF for me

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ -- according to BookTok. I couldn't get past the violence.

POV: Dual

HEA: No clue. DNF

Cliffhanger: No clue. DNF

Tropes: Bully romance, touch her and d!e, friends to lovers

INSTAGRAM: @Book.Lover.IRL 

STORYGRAPH: Book.Lover.IRL
GOODREADS: Book_Lover_IRL

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved this book

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really liked this book

⭐️⭐️⭐️ I liked this book

⭐️⭐️ Meh…  bored or annoyed

⭐️ Seriously? Not worth it

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ INFERNO. P@nty melting

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Blazing hot

🌶️🌶️🌶️ Now we’re talking

🌶️🌶️ Meh… uninspired missionary

🌶️ Does weak foreplay count?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical trauma, Stalking, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

ashleynp24's review

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-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

1.5

This was a rough read for me. The entire book was essentially Eli getting abused sexually or drugged. I think she spent half the book unconscious. And every man in the entire book abused her. Also the twin? Come ON. At least Sin’s dad was an actual plot twist. Like Sin and Eli were toxic as hell. He’s like “yeah I know you were abused by everyone and I’ll continue to abuse you but it’s ok bc I’m not sharing you it’s just me abusing you.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

sapphy's review against another edition

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

2.5

This book had me pissed off literally the entire time. Struggled to finish. Probably a world record for the number of times the word cunt was used. Please tell me that the Sacrifice is better so I don't have to DNF the rest of the series. 🫠

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

jessblibrarys's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

2.75

This book was too much for me.

There was too much miscommunication between Sin and Elli which made the book 2x longer than it shouod have been.

This book would've been wonderful if it was 300 pages but there was about 150 pages that I had to skim read in order to keep my sanity, which I don't like doing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Stalking, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting

fictionalized_bliss's review

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

amanda_reads13's review

dark medium-paced

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

1.0

Sin has been obsessed with Ellie for 
years and already claims her as his.  But she is promised to another.

This book is very dark and incredibly unhinged, so check the TW before starting (it's a long list).

Ellie has been through hell and back. She is convinced that she deserves all the bad things that happen to her and eventually just accepts that this is her lot in life. I really wanted to see her get her revenge and in a round about what she does, but I wanted her to be the one to light the match. She has been groomed by most of the men in her life and is SA a lot... Even by Sin who apparently "loves" her. (It's not CNC, it's R@pe). It honestly feels like Sin is just continuing her grooming- he never using a safe word, ignores her pain, tries to control her, r@pes, and just keeps damaging this poor girl. 

Sin believes Ellie is his, yet he can never quite keep her safe. With all the cameras and stalking, you think he would be able to protect her better. He is the typical sadistic, obsessive, possessive, and unhinged MC with the personality of a wet blanket. Frankly, he is not likable or redeeming at all. 

Tropes: stalker, dark, college, forbidden, secret society

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

taija_p's review

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

mcfoody's review

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Blood, Kidnapping, and Murder

Minor: Confinement, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, and Grief

thelibraryoflovelythings's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

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

2.0

Bro just r words her the whole book and they’re both ok with it 🤨

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and War

brookes_booknook's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This book is definitely not for the faint of heart. It is DARK so please check the trigger warnings before reading. With that being said it was SO GOOD! Sin and Elli have a relationship like no other. Sin is a lord and he gets what he wants and he has always wanted Elli. 

I wasn’t expecting who she was seeing at the beginning to be who it was though. It threw me for a loop when Sin called him out in her room. 

Another bomb drop was her mom and Linc 😳 there is a minefield of all type of twists and turns in this book. 

Sin shows his love and devotion to Elli in dark ways but he is also the only person who is there for her in ways no one else has been, even if she doesn’t know it. 

I am SO PROUD of Elli doing what she did in that kitchen. Even though she knew she was safe standing up for herself to Linc and Liam took so much strength and courage.

Tyson and Nic going after Sin😭 my heart was so tore up. I was so happy that they were going but so heartbroken at what they would find. 

That twist right at the end though?! NEVER saw that coming!!! Them getting the ending that they all deserved was the absolute best thing to see. 

5/5⭐️’s 

5/5🌶️’s

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Grief, and Murder