Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Affamata

Very unique combination of themes and insightfully personal, but the incessant crude descriptions of sex were very off-putting and unnecessary. I really liked the concepts introduced at the beginning about the relationship between disordered eating, family, and religion, but over time the crass and frankly gross descriptions of sex really turned me off of recommending the book to anyone. The author's voice is very odd and feels kind of childish and immature for a story about an adult woman's experience with disordered eating and discovering her sexuality. In some ways the story's voice reads like a YA novel. Overall, a lot of potential with the themes, but ultimately the off-putting elements made the book fall flat for me.

Content Warnings

ang44's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional reflective slow-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

4.25

I didn't realize how inherently fucked up this book would be? but also i found it very moving and therapeutic in other ways. There is an exploration of mommy issues that was reasonable but the degree it essentially intertwined mommy issues to sexuality was a bit too much.

But i do believe there is some fantastic ED portrayal, fantastic character writing, and it's incredibly honest. I respect the hell out of the main character's journey to self-acceptance and health and peace.

Not for reading if you aren't up for some of the most graphic sex scenes I've seen outside of fantasy!

Content Warnings

honneyyy's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

4.25

Beautifully sexy story about exploring sexuality in a religious space and complicated relationships with food. Occasionally Freudian mother daughter relationships🤨 but beyond that explores how there's more to life than how you were raised and encourages readers to truely find themselves.

Content Warnings

baolade's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

Content Warnings

msrae89's review against another edition

Go to review page

slow-paced

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

2.75

Ultimately, this book wasn’t for me. The atmosphere reminded me of early 2000s indie films where characters only had conversations with awkward silences and that was never my vibe.
Overall I found the book filled with unlikable characters who I didn’t really care about and a story line that left me confused and underwhelmed.

Content Warnings

katherinehayes's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective 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

3.75

I was interested in this book because I knew it discussed issues with body image, eating disorders, religion, and sexuality. I felt like I could relate to a lot of the inner monologues of the main character. There was never a slow moment in the book, but I do feel like the main themes I was excited for the book to explore got muddled in a less interesting and less exciting love story. The way the book started made me expect Rachel’s eating disorder to be a main challenge and topic throughout the book, but it seemed like all she had to do to overcome it was meet a fat girl who caused her to start binging lol. It felt like there was no real closure to her eating disorder; by the end of the book I wasn’t sure if she had actually learned to love herself or if she had only loved herself because someone else was viewing her as worthy and lovable. Overall, I enjoyed the book and the story and the fact that I was never bored reading it, but the themes that made it most compelling to me sort of fizzled out by the end.

Content Warnings

bloupibloupreads's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging funny slow-paced

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

3.25

Content Warnings

More...