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tieflingmom's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Outing, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
pacifickat's review
4.0
The audiobook absolutely made this book work for me as a reader. There were so many jokes and moments that relied on anticipating the correct voice intonation in order to completely land, and it was fun hearing JVN's humor come through in the audio narration. Plus, I would have hopelessly butchered all the Russian pseudonyms in my head.
Lots of trigger warnings could be applied to this book (childhood trauma, sexual content, drug use, self harm, bullying, etc.), but I have rarely heard more accurate or compelling descriptions of addictive behaviors and the self-destructive-yet-all-consuming mental state behind them than here. This felt like an extremely honest and open account of the author's most formative life experiences, and I can't help but admire that.
I also really appreciated learning a bit about AIDS/HIV stigma, treatments, and current positive prognoses when caught early and managed carefully. This kind of information is truly a public service to get out there in the open.
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Self harm, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Dementia, and Alcohol
Minor: Eating disorder and Fatphobia
marinapaso11's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Body shaming, Eating disorder, and Dementia
mxbenjaminrose's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Sexual content, and Grief
Minor: Cancer, Chronic illness, and Dementia
belle2008's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Cancer, and Death of parent
Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Dementia
leahlovesloslibros's review against another edition
5.0
This book was like chatting with an old friend. Listening to the audio told by JVN himself is absolutely the way I'd recommend reading this book, if that appeals to you. I was totally engrossed in the author's story, from childhood Jack all the way to adult Jonathan, and eventually the well-known JVN. The book was kind of a mix of his life story (the highs and the many lows), reflection, and self-help/advocacy, all of which were beautifully woven together into this one work.
Every bit of this book highlighted Jonathan, from beginning to end. The language and phrasing; the matter-of-factness and telling it how it is; the sheer beauty that is this gorgeous human being. I laughed and cried my way through this book, and I VERY rarely cry at books. Van Ness' book is one I will not soon forget.
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Drug use, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Dementia
**More TW/CW: sexual abuse, sex with a child, divorce, body image issues, gay slurs, masturbation, prostitutioncaseythereader's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, and Death of parent
sheryl_macca's review against another edition
3.0
Over The Top is, like most celebrity memoirs, not the most well written and very chatty in style but the depth of insight we are given more than makes up for it.
There are sections of the book which are really dark and challenging but JVN goes there without any drama and without their guard up. They are honest, frank and unapologetic. There are lessons to learn and ways to grow from these experiences, JVN doesn't dwell or ask for sympathy. They are simply sharing for the benefit of anyone who needs to hear it and that's a beautiful thing.
The thing I will take away from Over The Top?
We are all made up of many and different parts and we have to accept all of them to be able to love ourselves or another person. Oh and anything can be turned into a figure skating metaphor!
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Moderate: Pedophilia, Sexual content, and Dementia
strauberry's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Mental illness, Blood, Dementia, and Grief