Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw

16 reviews

felishacb's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Addiction, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual content, and Murder

Minor: Dementia, Alcohol, Miscarriage, and Abortion

shoohoob's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• 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

4.75

Found this book randomly through my storygraph recommendations and I was absolutely floored! I’d happily read a full length story for each of the stories in this book. 

Some of the stories did feel a little unfinished when they ended. I feel like all of them could have used a little more closure. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Body shaming, Cursing, Dementia, and Infidelity

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

i didn’t think i could ever give a story collection 5 stars. this collection had absolutely no misses, a few were better than others, but none were even close to bad. i loved loved this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Death, Cursing, Dementia, Death of parent, Grief, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Bullying, Classism, Domestic abuse, Infertility, and Sexual assault

anitra2319's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

I read this book as a buddy read with a long distance friend of mine. I was expecting it to be a lighter read but I was completely wrong. Philyaw weaves marvelous and complex tales of what happens behind the closed doors of church ladies. Some of these stories were lighthearted and funny, but there were also a good amount that made me have to put the book down for awhile. 

I can’t wait to see what my friend thinks!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Grief, Racial slurs, Alcohol, and Racism

clairew97's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Bullying, Abandonment, Abortion, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug use, Murder, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, Child death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Homophobia, and Toxic relationship

kaimetcalfe's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Alcohol, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Medical content, Dementia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Infidelity, Sexism, Infertility, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent

abbyluvsfrogs444's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

This is such a stunning collection of short stories. I fell in love with all the characters. I adored the writing. I became absorbed in all the stories. I love this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Dementia, and Alcohol

lilybearillini3's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Beautifully written and every story is immersive and compelling.  It's hard to pick a favorite.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Death of parent, Homophobia, Alcohol, Infidelity, and Sexual content

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Abortion

kimveach's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.5

This book is about sexual relationships, not just the kind most Christian churches would like you to have. The writing was excellent, and you got to know these characters despite the short stories.

The narration was good, but it could have benefitted from having more than one narrator. While I enjoyed listening to her, it felt like it was just one character telling all the stories, which is not the case.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Classism, Cursing, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, and Misogyny

bootsmom3's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexism, and Dementia

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Cancer, Body shaming, Homophobia, and Fatphobia

Minor: Terminal illness and Abortion