Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan

32 reviews

vivisms_82's review against another edition

mysterious reflective slow-paced

1.0

Bree Prescott arrives in a small town in Maine USA, to find some peace after a personally traumatic event. In this sleepy town she meets Archer; a man that many presume to be simple and weird because he keeps to himself and does not talk. 

Ok I got up to page 150 but dnf... good Lord this is soooo poorly written. How was this ever a bestseller??! And where was the editor?? Flippin' hell how many times do we have to hear about Phoebe the cat doing its business or Archer being a "quiet man"?? And the absolute worst part is the character of Bree i.e. the part time stalker, ableist fmc we are supposed to be rooting for. She happens to know sign language so her being able to communicate with Archer opens his world because apparently if you are deaf you need a hearing abled person to give you a life. Ick. Also, after ONE episode with Archer about her trauma, Bree no longer has PTSD. Like flashbacks are gone. Anxiety gone. I found the depiction of the ease of PTSD recovery and ableism appalling. There is also no mention of any counselling or psychologic support which is baffling - she got no help after what she went through? He as a little boy didn't have to have psychological assessment after his trauma? Just ridiculous. My friend (who loved the book) told me what happens after said 150 pages and it seems like this book would have only further bugged me so small mercies :) I don't expect great literature from a romance book but geesh this was bargain bin $2 special material. 

 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism

Minor: Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

cait_abigail's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I absolutely loved the beginning. I really thought it would be a 5 star read for me, but stuff happened that just turned me off of it. The vibe just completely changed almost halfway through. As much as I liked the characters and unique storyline, some of the angsty plot points involving Archer I strongly disliked. They were understandable, considering the context...but I didn't enjoy reading them at all. I actually had to skim some chapters to get through it. He got over his debilitating trauma way too fast and the ending felt kinda rushed.

 Overall, it was a beautiful story. I really loved the fmc! One of the most likable main characters I've read in a long time. And some plot twists were great! I didn't see a lot of things coming and I appreciate that in a book:)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Blood, Medical trauma, Car accident, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Medical trauma

ummmokaythen's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Sexual violence, and Car accident

Minor: Cancer

dcnireads's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad 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? No

4.0

4 stars to be specific. this book isnt romance with trauma, its TRAUMA in capital letters with a tiny sprinkle of romance in small caps and font + italicized, and speaking as a weakass non-angst lover, i adored it like a masochist. as i said before, the writing style was a bit hard to get into and had me very skeptical at first, but it did grow on me and im so glad i kept reading. this was a genuinely heartwearming and inspiring love story about two traumatized people who didn't just "fix" each other by being in love, but rather gave one another the tools to pick both of themselves back up, and build the happy ending they both undoubtedly deserve. archer and bree go on the list of characters who i connected with so well and am so proud of to a point where i almost feel like they're real and i know them personally. they deserve the world, i will remember their story fondly. oh, and victoria hale can die in a ditch. thank you.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Dementia, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Drug abuse, and Misogyny

thebookshelfblossom's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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? Yes

3.75

I finally got around to reading one of Bookstagram’s favorites, and I understand why it is so beloved. Archer’s story was heartbreaking and powerful, and I loved seeing his growth. The flaws in his character felt real given his character’s backstory, and I felt myself rooting for him the whole time. 

Bree’s character was often frustrating for me. I tried to remind myself she was in her early 20s, but so much of what she does feels immature and not thought out. I couldn’t tell if that was intentional on the author’s part, or if it was just a poorly developed character. 

Which brings me to why I didn’t want to give this a full 4 stars - so much of the writing and editing felt subpar. There were times in the middle of the book that I felt like the depth of the writing was catching up with the depth of the story, but then it dropped off again at the end. Most of the writing just felt very one-note. It’s always better to show instead of tell, and there was a lot of telling, if that makes sense. 

Even still, I appreciated the story and the heart behind it. I’m glad to check this off my physical TBR! 

Please be sure to check all TW for this book. There are a lot of heavy themes addressed in the story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Murder

knotesfromkae's review against another edition

emotional funny 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

It's a beautifully written story about healing from various types of grief. Sometimes, checking in on those around you can be life-altering for that person. It's also a love story between the two characters and between them loving themselves. I was not prepared for that horrible twist at the end of the second-to-last chapter. Luckily, it untwists itself, but I was WEEPING! 
It's a beautiful story, but take care of yourself while reading. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident and Murder

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Sexual violence

Minor: Cancer and Infidelity

harvey7leah's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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

2.0

This book was super sweet, almost too sweet. Between the whiplash of the plot and the over the top cheesy lines, I am left scratching my head as to why everyone has been fawning over this book, ESPECIALLY THE "PLOT TWIST" at the end. I ended up at a 2 star rating though because the spice was okay and I did really enjoy the disability rep. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Violence

Moderate: Bullying and Child abuse

tcgav's review against another edition

Genuinely I’m so confused as to how this book has over 4 stars, and was probably the most recommended book to me ever! 

My main issue is the author telling everything literally rather than showing. The writing is bad. 

Other than that: 
Weird infantilizing of the mute character even within sexually explicit scenes which feels particularly gross for me. Language at times was terribly ableist and weird, especially describing the MFC’s love for the MMC. Feels way too contrived to have

brothers fighting over a single girl in both generations

. The way what I see as non-consent (intoxicated, inexperience, character is mute) is handled is gross. How does someone own a town?? Everyone states the MMC is supposed to be so sweet and lovely but his jealousy and inability to trust the MFC when she says she will do something or feels a certain way (despite her literally never having lied to him) is gross and not in line with a sweet, lovely, MMC. His virginity also like goes beyond virginity into borderline not knowing about sex at all which just comes across again as infantilizing and gross. There are just an ungodly amount of explicit scenes with nothing of substance or interest in between. 

I am the target audience for this book like everyone recommended it to me for a sweet MMC and disability representation but it’s just so poorly executed in every way in my opinion, I couldn’t even finish it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism

sebradley29's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

leila_reads_too_much's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail