Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason

58 reviews

pookiee's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

2.0

reading this feels like a form of self-harm

there is something deep in there about self-sabotage, it made me cry, but i hate how her only personality is her sickness. and nothing about it was funny, even though it tried to be.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Fatphobia and Miscarriage

hannchilada's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring reflective sad 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

The title really says it all…I cried after. Mandatory reading for anyone searching for a therapist, probably.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Miscarriage

shizabelle's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Mental illness

jettiphoned's review against another edition

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, and Suicidal thoughts

maythetree's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Mental illness

Moderate: Addiction and Alcoholism

hannahbailey's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring 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

<b>TW: mental illness, toxic relationships, domestic abuse, suicidal thoughts, miscarriage, alcoholism, emotional abuse, grief </b>

Absolutely sped through this. Had I owned a copy on kindle, I would be sharing probably hundreds of highlights right now. 

Written so effortlessly, with a style of prose that is just a pleasure to read despite the heavy themes. Actually, it's probably this writing style that makes the themes so digestible. Really enjoyed the lack of 'perfect' characters and the unreliable narration. Found the narrative we tell ourselves about how we're perceived by others when suffering with mental illness to be very relatable. This portrayal of mental illness, teen-to-adulthood and managing relationships is not only relatable but quite soothing to see published into the mainstream. The narrative voice was very compelling as was the jumping to different parts of the timeline. 

Took me 3 days to finish which is a record this year as everything else I pick up in 2024 has taken me much longer to get through!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Pregnancy

racheljiyoungshin's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol

megh_'s review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Medical content

Moderate: Alcoholism and Miscarriage

rakkaussipsi's review against another edition

emotional sad

• Loveable characters? No

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Alcoholism and Domestic abuse

s_salako's review against another edition

challenging dark funny slow-paced

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

3.0

This is a weird one to try to sum up in a review. I appreciated the commentary on mental health and how it affects many/all areas of life - how we view ourselves, others, and how it can sometimes make or break relationships and the things that are most important. I do think that Martha’s condition was somewhat extreme, as was Patrick’s passivity. If he truly loved her that much and knew something was wrong, I believe he would’ve taken more action to help her get better. Ingrid was lovely, and the theme of Martha healing her relationship with her mom was quite beautiful and realistic. Overall, not a bad book, but not a fantastic one. I’ve read better books portraying mental health in all its quirks and irritation. I’m also learning I’m not a huge fan of the “journal entry” style of novels - just something to note.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt