Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher

52 reviews

vr_alyssa's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful reflective tense medium-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? No

3.75

Yesterday, I decided to spend a couple hours disappearing into this book - which turned into spending a large part of the day, evening and night with it until it was finished.

I really enjoyed the elements of Arthurian legends, England's history, as well as (of course) the romance. Sometimes I found the back and forth between POV's a bit distracting at times, but it was also enjoyable to witness the story from two perspectives (I don't think it would've worked otherwise).

The characters were easy to connect to, despite their stubbornness at times. It was easy to root and feel sad for them as the story progressed. The last 100 pages or so threw me for a spin.

All in all, an enjoyable 'light' read, couldn't put it down. I'd say: a Sunday well spent.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, and War

seventhswan's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted medium-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

3.25

April's read for book group: I don't think I ever would have picked this book up of my own accord, as YA isn't a genre I tend to gravitate towards, but I found plenty to like about it. The characters were endearing without being overly irritating and the main storyline, while nothing new or groundbreaking, kept me invested. Everything was fairly tropey and predictable, but as a lighthearted, escapist romance, this worked. 

Where this book fell down for me was the final few chapters. The story moved away from romance to more serious depictions of battle, which were well-written but didn't really fit with the tone of the first two-thirds of the book, and meant the conclusions to the romance storylines didn't get properly finished. I wonder if perhaps the author was trying to leave the door open for a sequel? The pacing in general was a bit off, too - to start with I wished the plot would move along faster, and then the ending felt rushed.

Delighted to see not only lesbian, bisexual and gay representation in this story but also characters with a range of disabilities and of various races! I tend to be wary these days of reducing books to good/bad Representation TM, but in books for children and teenagers it does feel more objectively important, for reasons I can't fully articulate. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse, Homophobia, and Death of parent

Minor: Alcoholism

btorsi's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-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

4.5

i'm not going to lie and say the beginning wasn't slow af. i almost didn't get through the first hundred or so pages. and the summary on the jacket isn't very accurate -- it boasts a fun arthurian romance, but this book was so much more than a romance. in fact, the romance was staggeringly less than i expected, especially between gwen and bridget. but the characters were lovable, the dynamics were so fun, the dialogue was funny as hell, and the plot sure did heat up. by the end i was the one in love. but it's not 5 stars bc of the slow beginning.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Homophobia, Violence, Death of parent, and War

Minor: Child abuse

pynklaady's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• 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

3.75

I preferred the first 3/4 of the book hence the raiting - not so much a fan of the last 100 or so pages though I did find the *very* end sweet 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Violence, and Death of parent

dananana's review

adventurous funny lighthearted

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, and Death of parent

Moderate: Homophobia, War, and Injury/Injury detail

wildflowerragdoll's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-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

4.75

Liked it, loved the characters. Needed a stronger lesbian story that wasn't just using the masc as a stoic silent prop for kissing. Really hard to stop laughing every chapter this author is phenomenal at last sentences

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Homophobia

knockoffrainbow's review

adventurous challenging emotional funny 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? It's complicated

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Gore, and Grief

dinosaurari's review

adventurous emotional funny tense medium-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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism and Emotional abuse

Minor: Body horror and Child abuse

gillian_aftanas's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted sad medium-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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, and Vomit

Minor: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief

donxmore's review against another edition

funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse and Death of parent

Minor: Stalking