Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering

28 reviews

libbyferg99's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Poignant and devastating, Lucy’s coming of age story is one of tragedy and disappointment. She struggles to build positive relationships through the fog of her depression, uses drugs to cope, and makes life decisions based on the whims of a boy. Understanding her past is the key to freeing herself in the future. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, and Classism

katymat18's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense 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? Yes

1.75

Woof. I listened to this via audiobook, and partially because of the show on Hulu. I wanted to compare the two; and also I just wanted to know how the story ultimately unfolded. So came here for the spoilers and finished it because of the chaotic drama. This book is filled with bright neon RED flags. It’s really not a great book, and I did not find it enjoyable, but I am here for the messy people. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Drug use, Car accident, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Minor: Death and Infidelity

kelly_twardziak's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

3.25

Picked up this book because I've been enjoying the Hulu series. The book is poorly written, but the story showcased the ways a toxic person can wriggle his way into a young woman's life and completely derail things in a way that rung true

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Drug use, Car accident, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Minor: Infidelity

lindsayerin's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• 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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: Alcoholism and Classism

andreabrown's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Animal death, Mental illness, and Gaslighting

Minor: Animal cruelty

cosycourtney's review against another edition

dark emotional slow-paced

• 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

1.0

After watching the trailer for the tv show coming out shortly I was really excited to read this book. However, I was greatly disappointed. Considering this book was under 300 pages, it felt like the longest short book I’d ever fucking read. The reasons I didn’t like this book were because 90% of it was female suffering with a sneeze of female empowerment. Did the author just want to wonder what it felt like to be a toxic male for the period of her life she wrote this? The focus on the male POV in this novel made me sick as I felt like Stephen was the most developed of the two characters and I felt like I knew more about him than Lucy by the end. Stephen is the worst type of person and there is no arguments there, well executed because I was mad and disgusted; bravo. However, LUCY was such a wildly disappointing character. The potential for growth, retribution, and happiness was so ripe and just ignore. Mind you, the lack of showing and just telling was infuriating. I only finished this book because I had high hopes it would be closed out with a bang and I could launch my fists in the air and say for good her but like what we got was pathetic. The entire 4 year relationship being rounded out by an epilogue felt lazy. For Lucy to end up in another pathetic relationship where a man only wants her for her body, still in a run down job & he gets the “happy ending” was just annoying. PLUS don’t even get me started in the Macy thing. Also, the amount of content surrounding Lucy’s eating disorder for her to just suddenly not have one anymore ???? And also the notion that she was “better” and yet she was still exercising ferociously and binging sweets. Overall, I was so disappointed with this book and hope the show is better. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Dysphoria

janesarah's review against another edition

emotional sad 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting