Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan

72 reviews

clo_l's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

3.5

I really wanted to love this book but I don’t. I was expecting it to be more intense, mind-bending, and full of twists. It was so slow & boring. I don’t hate it, I just don’t particularly like it and I probably wouldn’t recommend it. As a young, new mother who struggles with postpartum depression & anxiety, I can relate to a good bit of things from this book. For that, I appreciate it but honestly, that’s all. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Abandonment

Minor: Self harm, Rape, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Cancer, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Grief, Bullying, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Infidelity, Infertility, Cursing, Child abuse, Car accident, and Blood

beebalm's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.25

I would rate the first 25% and last 10% differently than the rest of the book, with it improving as I went on. Lots of questions still unanswered, and I'll admit that my guess for how it would end was close but wrong.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Abandonment, Confinement, Infidelity, Mental illness, and Suicide

Minor: Sexual harassment

honeymoonleo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Confinement, Gaslighting, Self harm, Suicide, Child abuse, Classism, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Racism, and Torture

Minor: Addiction, Racial slurs, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Homophobia, Suicide, Sexual assault, Medical trauma, and Deportation

jourdanicus's review against another edition

Enraging and depressing. I get that Frida is probably not supposed to be a likeable character, and I usually like unlikeable/unreliable narrators, but she (and the other characters tbh) didn't even seem that well-developed either. I struggled to get through the story from her perspective. I wish the commentary on social inequity had more nuance and depth, that really could have saved the book for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Sexual content, and Infidelity

Moderate: Classism and Racism

Minor: Pregnancy and Vomit

cryfest's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Grief, Mental illness, Self harm, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abandonment, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse

kathleenivy's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Child abuse, Lesbophobia, and Sexism

Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Torture, Abandonment, Self harm, Classism, Kidnapping, Colonisation, and Medical content

Minor: Cancer, Infidelity, and Miscarriage

brdietz08's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Child death, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Mental illness, and Kidnapping

superstar_y2k's review against another edition

when the adult main character describes herself during sex as “embarrassed by the limitations of her little girl body” and “built like a teenage girl” (pg 51) i’m no longer interested in the book.  
i feel like the book focuses a lot on Frida’s flaws and depression, but in a justification type of way as if she didn’t actually endanger her child.  the summary makes it’s seem like it’s a silly little accident that gets Frida into the “school for bad mothers” but no. it’s literal child neglect and endangerment.  i find it difficult to like any of the characters mentioned. 
there’s also a dub-con moment where Frida kisses a character (and completely reveals herself to him) despite him telling her he didn’t want to kiss (pg 37) 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Body shaming

Moderate: Medical trauma, Medical content, Sexual content, Infidelity, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Child abuse and Body shaming

haleybre's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Self harm, Child death, and Violence

daniellenelson's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Racism, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Vomit, Suicide, Blood, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Alcohol, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, and Emotional abuse