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themookintosh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Vomit, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Eating disorder, Self harm, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Classism
makayla_m812's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Vomit, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death
bobinsbooknook's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The writing style and character detail around Irene - a fetish art photographer - and her trauma’s and addictions which create an incredibly raw and gritty world she lives in.
It is a very intense read where we follow the spiral of Irena mental health decline and navigating the toxic relationships she has with friends and family. There is so much trauma packed into this book which shapes her into this brutal and almost sociopathic young woman.
Eliza Clark certainly knows how to write an intense story and captures that morbid fascination - so much so it was almost impossible to put down!
Though there is no clear resolve in the ending - I think it perfectly captures the tortured and twisted mindset of Irene and will no doubt plague my thoughts for a long time!
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Vomit
thesannaclause's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Rape
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
twentythreeandahalf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
unhingedreader's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
This book is a very visceral read, without giving too much away it has an unreliable narrator and many twists and turns.
Irina is the kind of friend that you warn people about, she is manipulative and gaslights those around her. Somewhat similar to a car crash scene that you know you shouldn’t look at, but can’t quite look away from. She has some interesting pastimes including drug and alcohol abuse, which she seems to utilise as a crutch to escape her current reality of the under appreciated artist. Apart from her bar job her main career focus is photographing generic looking men that she scouts on the streets of Newcastle. Her photography specialises on fetish art and the book follows her attempting to revive her career whilst being entirely horrible to anyone in her vicinity.
There’s many reasons I enjoyed this book, it sticks with you. Irina’s perspective will have you want to laugh at her dark wit and recoil at her true desires.
I have had the pleasure of meeting the author Eliza Clark who is a very down to earth person that writes some pretty messed up books. I would look into some of her interviews because I really think it adds to the overall narrative of the book.
Graphic: Body shaming, Drug use, Sexual assault, Violence, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
eirasenior's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Vomit, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
houseofjules's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It also made me realize that this is what My Year of Rest and Relaxation wants to be and falls drastically short. I have also seen this compared to American Psycho but for girls. And you know what, I liked that story as well (I've only watched it, not read it).
I think this says something bad about me, just not sure what. But I think this is a successful story because of the commentary rather than the behavior displayed by the MC. I mean, girlfriend needs therapy BAD. But her support system failed her from the beginning, starting with her relationship with her mother and the things she goes on to experience in her early years.
This is pretty privilege at play as well, which allows her to get away with lots of things. In fact its the main question she tried to find an answer to. This book feel like running your tongue over a recently extracted tooth. Painful, horrifying even, but hard to stop exploring.
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
swagboat69's review
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
sagrising's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Body horror, Drug use, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, and Toxic friendship