Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Love Is an Ex-Country by Randa Jarrar

14 reviews

becausebrenna's review

talking about thumbelina as a clitoris? Nope! I’m out! I tried

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

speedofhuman's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Physical abuse, and Child abuse

Moderate: Pregnancy, Fatphobia, Bullying, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, Body shaming, Sexism, Islamophobia, Sexual violence, and Racism

Minor: War, Pedophilia, and Police brutality

bostonki's review against another edition

I really wanted to like this book. I really did. Based on the blurb, I was expecting travel memoir. Alas, this was mostly just an essay memoir. Which is fine, except there is too much graphic sex and asexual shaming for my tastes. Jarrar’s holier-than-thou attitude rubbed me the wrong way, and the final straw was a sentence on page 159 of the ARC that reads, “When I arrive in Austin, I get nostalgic because I can’t afford to live there anymore. The airport is full of transplants, cowboy-boot-wearing women who don’t deserve to live there.” Who are you to decide who deserves what? Bye!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Child abuse, and Pregnancy

kleinekita's review

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Body shaming, and Fatphobia

emoryscott's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

2.75

I really wanted to like this book. I love memoirs and the jacket summary was intriguing. However, this author’s style is not for me. If you enjoy quippy, erratic narration, you’ll love this. I felt like the journey across the country could have been more clearly defined. I felt like I never knew which era of her life she was speaking about. I know this is some people’s favorite type of writing, but it just wasn’t for me. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking, Child abuse, Biphobia, Blood, Body shaming, Excrement, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Pregnancy, Rape, Slavery, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Addiction, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Classism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Antisemitism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Ableism, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Child death, Colonisation, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Eating disorder, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Fatphobia, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Islamophobia, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Genocide, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, and Sexual harassment

Also, at times, it really seemed like the author was glorifying trauma and abuse. It was definitely a bit difficult to read as a survivor, but I can see how someone else may find this empowering.

yazzy_annalise's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.75

I wasn't really sure if I was going to like this book, but once I got used to the writing style being more like essays. I loved it. I found a lot of my own journey in this book, and not all of those realizations were pleasant, but I hope to one day get to a similar healed and self-loved point that the author reaches

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Sexual content

shangchunsong's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

1.0

do not read unless you want to hear about sex every three pages

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

imrereads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional medium-paced

3.0

I was gifted a copy of this book by Catapult. Thank you so much! 

I have conflicting thoughts. While there are some really wonderfully written and capturing sections, I felt over all that it didn't deliver what it advertised. It certainly isn't cross-country roadtrip the blurb promised. 

My biggest issue is that it felt very fragmentes and not flowing together the way I would have wanted. It jumps very quickly from topic to topic, from childhood to adulthood, from serious to lighthearted. This made it hard for me to feel engaged in the narrarive. It's certainly a provocative memoir for better and for worse. At least personally I found several sections to be quite triggering to read, and I wish it didn't jump so quickly from topic to topic. 

Still, I want to repeat that there are some really good and thought provoking sections. For example the chapter where she's at the airport in Isreal had me at the edge of my seat. I won't forget it easily! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Islamophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, and Sexual assault

riolson3's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia

Minor: Islamophobia

alylentz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.0

I really enjoyed this and would definitely pick up another book by this author. I soared through the first half, but then the second half faltered a little for me: not sure if that was the pacing or if I just felt less compelled by the subjects of those sections. My favorite chapter was the one that discussed being detained by customs--I feel like that is definitely a must-read for so many. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, and Xenophobia