Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering

46 reviews

kaseybrowndanner's review against another edition

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3.0

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ohkachi's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The writing was good. The characters unbearable. I didn’t have anyone to root for and it was such a hard read. Lucy, baby girl, that man was insufferable from the start. I could not hate anyone more.
I can’t believe I had to wait to the epilogue to see you finally stand up.
Fuck Stephen in all the ways that matter. This book was a great reminder that men are hell and could ruin your life if you allow them. To my girls, gays and theys, please always stand on business. Never let someone play in your face like Stephen. Always leave at the first sign of disrespect. While I found the characters abhorrent, I do believe this book shook something in me deeply. I reflected on past situations and found Lucy in me. That was terrifying so I now will be working on that in therapy to strengthen my resolve. 
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chloeoliana's review against another edition

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

4.0

Was a great break up book
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littleanabelle's review against another edition

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

0.75

I actually hated this book. 
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feralandbookish's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

I'll start by saying, definitely look at trigger warnings for this book before reading. I should have. 

Aside from that, when I started this book, I wasn't sure what direction it was going to go in. It was giving me tale of caution vibes, and I was correct. 

I loved the ending to this book. It was very healing. The author is correct in that we all have a Stephen in our lives at some point or another. I know who mine is and I can't wait for the day I have the epiphany Lucy does at the end of this book. 🧡
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oliviamcclay's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

this book was a whirlwind. and by that i mostly mean emotionally exhausting and fairly infuriating. the author quickly grabs the interest of the reader, and maintaining it. i read the book rather quickly; though, i never felt i was fully prepared for what was coming next. 

the book was a lot more sexual and a lot heavier than i thought i would be. so much so i wish there was a warning. the incessant sexual writing was not my favorite and felt like overkill. but also essential for the purpose of the story that i believe the author was trying to share. the mental health issues were numerous but the ones that were most prominent weren’t only the common ones, like depression and anxiety. in a way, i felt more educated about certain illnesses after reading the book. 

the hardest part of this book was hating one of the main characters for almost the entirety of the book. though, at times, you hate both of the main characters. 

what i did appreciate was the reconciliation, the realizations, and overall result of the book. i felt i got the closure i was seeking and the peace i was needing. 

i wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone though. only get into it if you want to read about sex every chapter, feel the weight and frustration of mental illness, and eventually get satisfying closure. 
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tannerlauren's review against another edition

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

2.0

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rain_conners's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Recently just finished the show and found out it was based on a book, so you know I had to read it. The book is COMPLETELY different than the show… but not in a bad way? It’s just so different it’s weird. 
Stephen and Lucy’s relationship is so toxic but yet intoxicating. By the end of the book you hate Stephen with all your fu€#ing guts because he is the WORST!!!!!
I think this book hit a little too close to home because Lucy is recovering from some trauma, goes to college and falls in love with the typical asshole. So she tries and tries and tries to fix him and herself. There are some tigger warnings in here that as a female in love with a guy we all can relate too… anorexia, lying about it from your friends, and self destruction. 
I think I loved this book so much because it was extremely relatable and I’m so relieved the way it ended <3
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jennabeck13's review against another edition

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

1.0

Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering

⭐️ (1/5)

Genre: Romance

About 370 pages


Lucy is searching for who she wants to be when she arrives at Baird’s campus in California. She is young and naive which is how she falls into Stephen’s trap. The two start an on-again, off-again romance as they can’t resist each other despite knowing they aren’t good for one another. Tell Me Lies tells the story of their relationship during college, their transition to the professional world, and beyond. 


Keeping this brief… I did not like this book. It felt like it was promoting toxic relationships and in my opinion, there were no “positive” moments in Lucy and Stephen’s relationship. GoodReads promotes this as a “coming of age” story and a romance, but I think it was the opposite. While I think addressing themes like those in this book is important, I don’t think it was done properly here.


Favorite Quote: “Love—real love—isn’t something you construct or hope or imagine or plan for the future. Love is something you live and feel in real-time, in every single moment, big or small. It’s reciprocal and often unglamorous. But we bank on it because it’s what gives life meaning.”



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mandarrr's review against another edition

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

3.25

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