Reviews tagging 'Violence'

A Very Typical Family by Sierra Godfrey

14 reviews

erinreading's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, Drug use, and Drug abuse

torlee's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent and Toxic relationship

Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Drug use, and Vomit

marieeveparentroy's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring sad medium-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Alcohol, Violence, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Blood, Grief, Cancer, and Death

sammykat's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective tense medium-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

A family drama with romance, mystery and sibling  relationships. The book was fun and lighthearted despite some darker themes of

prison, drugs, death, animal gore

and the characters were interesting and had good depth. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Animal death, Vomit, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, and Violence

katben2232's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, and Violence

alanamccausland's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

3.25

Enjoyed the beginning. Hoped for more throughout. The middle dragged on. Didn’t like the ending - it felt abrupt. Good writing but I could tell it was a debut novel. Nice plot ideas but not always developed enough. Kinda cheesy in a bad way at times.. predictable. Craved more from the characters. *Forgiving yourself.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Animal cruelty and Cancer

jg34's review against another edition

• 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

2.0

It was an ok story but I couldn’t get past the main conflict. I get that drug and crime issues in general are not just black and white and right and wrong and perhaps it was a brash decision but the whole “it’s all Natalie’s fault” thing doesn’t work for me.

the fact that still after 15 years Jake and Lynn don’t take responsibilities for their own actions is mind boggling. I get them being mad while they are young and maybe even though out their sentence but to hold a grudge for that long??? Like the fact that they were actively engaging in illegal activities is definitely not at all the reason they were sent to prison? I guess it gets complicated with Carlos and I understand some guilt around that but everyone is at fault for that, not just Natalie. How would she know that he would do what he did. And she didn’t even really call the cops because of the drugs she called because her sister was hurt and her brother was too lit to do anything to help. They never in 15 years considered how scary that was for Natalie? Or the fact that she was basically still a child???????? That would be so traumatizing to see your siblings doing heroin and then all the aftermath on top of it! Idk it doesn’t track for me even the mom basically exiling her. Natalie took way too much shit for one “mistake” if you can even call it one.

really ruined the book for me I kept waiting for a proper reconciliation but I didn’t think it was good enough

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

Moderate: Vomit

Minor: Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent

erebus53's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-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

4.25

I picked up this one as a Big Library Read book. Libby sets things up so there are unlimited library eCopies of the book to download digitally (including Audiobook versions). Looking at the cover I presumed it might be pretty corny, but I was pleasantly surprised.

I was surprised to find myself as the target audience. The main character is a woman who has been settling for much of her life and has never chased up on her passion projects. She has allowed her partner to belittle her efforts and has fallen into a rut where it is normal for him to be the controlling partner in her life. When 2 life changing influences coincidentally shake her life up, she is given the headspace to reassess what she is doing with her life.

The main character is someone who is interested in drawing biological specimens. I vibed with her whole habit of finding cool minibeasts or bits of broken animal and wanting to keep records of them. FOR SCIENCE! I deeply identified with the feeling of having others disgusted by the objects of your fascination, wanting to get pictures of dead birds' feet, and also the problem of having baby mantises accidentally hatch in your bedroom.. or.. all over your bedroom.

This is also a story of family reconciliation. Getting an estranged family back together again as part of a family bequest makes this an inheritance story with some cool twists. It's got a lot more trauma than I was expecting. The sister is a kick-ass goth who is a trained mortician. I think I can see a theme in the way this family works.

Didn't really expect it to be so focused on romance though. I found the development of friendships and relationships in the story so captivating that I forgot to stop the book.. and then found I had oopsed a 1-day-read. Uhm.. yes I quite liked this one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Violence, Abandonment, Drug use, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Blood, Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Stalking, Terminal illness, and Cancer

Minor: Vomit

saffpaff's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, and Death of parent

Moderate: Violence, Domestic abuse, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Toxic friendship, Gore, and Gaslighting

lizziaha's review against another edition

slow-paced

2.5

I might’ve enjoyed this book more if it had been about 100 pages shorter. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Animal death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Vomit