Reviews tagging 'Eating disorder'

Normal People by Sally Rooney

673 reviews

wyabook234's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad

• 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

Normal People by Sally Rooney is as close to depicting a relationship that feels humane and realistic. While the prose describes what characters do and say without quotations, it's a style that can take some time to adjust. Nonetheless, the writing doesn't degenerate how these characters are authored as being breathable people within Rooney's novel. Conell and Marianne have moments where you hate them due to their class-related prejudice, selfishness, or pettiness. However, it can make you consider how young they are while making mistakes. Their mistakes can make it seem like their relationship is believable, and when it improves, it isn't just about improving upon them as a couple but as individuals in how they spend time and think about each other. This story isn't Romeo and Juliet. However, it's a love story that makes you feel that Conell and Marianne could be good for each other.

Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Suicide, Mental Illness. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Minor: Eating disorder and Toxic friendship

squeakypenguin's review against another edition

emotional 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

5.0

Oh my god!! Absolutely adored this book, I just could not put it down I had to find out about these two characters and what happens to them. I loved seeing their povs and how they perceived each other. It was beautiful to see their transformation of becoming adults annd how they developed their personalities due to the things they were going through. It was like I was reading about 2 real life people.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, and Grief

jaderbugz's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad slow-paced

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

2.0

this book was not for me ✋🏽 don’t get the hype, it was kinda boring with bits that were just depressing af. not a fan of the writing style. and though a lot did happen, also nothing happened?? i feel like they are the same people they were in the beginning of the book. no development and tbh they’re both kinda boring people (which i guess could be nice in a way because they are truly “normal people”? lmao). also most of the conversations didn’t feel like they flowed like real conversations, which i was not a fan of. 

i will say that despite this, there were two quotes i did really love. however, that’s probably the only positive thing i have to say about the book haha. 

“Marianne, I’m not a religious person but I do sometimes think God made you for me.” 

“Life offers you these moments of joy despite everything.”

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

eviemm's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

4.5

the emotional codependency is crazy (frustrating, intriguing, thought-provoking, etc etc) in this one

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

georgiasophia's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Mental illness, and Suicide

rellimylrac's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Eating disorder

cleotheo's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Infidelity, Suicide, and Death of parent

Minor: Eating disorder and Panic attacks/disorders

yourlilkiwi's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

everythingeatsandiseaten's review against another edition

emotional reflective relaxing sad 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

3.25

beautifully written at times but adds really nothing at all to the romance trope. i find that the romanticization of marianne in particular as isolated, traumatized, etc. can come off in quite an ignorant manner. however i do think  this is purposeful because we view as she herself (and connell), but if not understood correctly can possibly be interpreted as a glamorization of her suffering. 
much of contemporary romance, especially from the 2000s and onwards feels like a wet dream— on one hand you have dark romance & monster smut, in the middle the absolute disgrace of colleen hoover, and on the other you get esoteric nonsense that fosters individuality through romanticizing mental illness and trauma. 
not to say normal people is the extreme fault of the latter at all; i’d say the biggest fault i find is within its predictability, although i wasn’t quite expecting originality from a booktok recommended novel! to give credit where credit is due, i thought rooney did a wonderful job of creating a realistic romance, however idyllic. she has so much capability with dialogue and the natural cadences of body language and movement and conversation, which is beautiful for preserving culture in a time where human nature and behavior has advanced so much and become so complex! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Grief, and Alcohol

Minor: Child abuse, Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

sina4books's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Alcohol

Moderate: Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

Minor: Drug use and Death of parent