Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

18 reviews

auggie_reads's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Religious bigotry

czty27's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring sad fast-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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Bullying, and Emotional abuse

vampire_burrito's review

emotional hopeful 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Body shaming, and Sexual harassment

kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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

4.0

Moving, beautiful novel in verse about how sometimes you have to become who you’re meant to be despite whatever obstacles stand in your way, even when those obstacles might be the people who are supposed to love and care about you the most. A quick read, this book moved me through every conceivable emotion and the relationship between the mother and daughter, while not exactly like my own, definitely resonated with me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Religious bigotry

kbairbooks's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I am tearing up over here. Wow this hit home. I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed with how much my own life was interwoven into this story and it’s really beautiful seeing comparisons in life experiences, fiction or not, because then we have visual proof we are not alone.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual content and Vomit

Minor: Alcohol and Fire/Fire injury

amanda_mh's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-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

4.25

 I really enjoyed this free verse novel , beautiful prose telling a story that I was heavily invested in 📖 🗣 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Violence, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Emotional abuse

Minor: Homophobia

lectricefeministe's review

emotional hopeful inspiring tense fast-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Homophobia, Bullying, Gaslighting, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Toxic relationship

corabookworm's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense fast-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

5.0

As always, this is one of my favorite books. Elizabeth Acevedo is an amazing poet and reader, and this audiobook is literally fantastic.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Body shaming, Cursing, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Sexism

badspringbye's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

part I was terrifyingly relatable. it highly takes emphasis on traditional and religious beliefs of a certain person (Xiomara's mom) and how they try to compel their child into something they (Xiomara) disfavor, until there comes the day more and more questions starts to form and pile up until these collective thoughts turned into merely antipathy for their conflicting faith and beliefs, but what can a child do over their own parent's abusive behaviour when every.single.thing. should be under their control as long as you live under the same roof?

part II was a bit dreary probably because of the romance

Spoiler

(I also didn't like how they still ended up together. X and Aman's relationship...that I won't acknowledge. seeing your partner get sexually violated in public and choosing to ignore? yeaaa enough for me. please.)

part III is when I shed tears, particularly because of the passage written below. but the rest were a bit of a letdown honestly, wrapped up way too quickly.

Spoiler

there was an attempt to reconstruct her mother's attitude squeezed into the last five pages.

excerpt from part III, Going Home:
<i>"Going Home. Is one of the hardest things I've ever done. Hands trembling at the thought of what will happen when I walk through the front door. Because my mother's ears are soundproof when it comes to me."</i>

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Toxic relationship

bethshuff's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative reflective tense fast-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Body shaming, Child abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, and Toxic relationship