Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Boy Parts by Eliza Clark

450 reviews

randiymkje's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

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

5.0

Even if I felt uncomfortable reading some of this, it left me trying to grasp reality again and I don’t think I will ever forget it. A book that can properly disgust, anger and shock or invoke any other real feelings is deserving of my 5 stars

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Animal death, Eating disorder, Rape, Self harm, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

katierobertsonshaddix's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

urfavgothlibrarian's review against another edition

dark funny tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

phage90's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I came around to this book in the second half, and while there is a lack of character development, there is a logical progression. If you are fascinated by abhorrent women in literature, I highly recommend this book. I was fully engrossed in the point of view of a deviant woman that is devoid of the ability for human compassion.  Warning: It has very disturbing content. 

For what I think is the most disturbing, please view the spoilers below (I try to remain vague):

Person has an object inserted into their body without consent

 

Fetishization of young men/boys by protagonist

 

Targeting homeless/vulnerable people for sexual violence

 

Extensive emotional manipulation by protagonist toward LGTBQ friend

 

Depictions of drug use that reads as self-harm

   
This is not an exhaustive list.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Eating disorder, Rape, Vomit, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body shaming, and Blood

bluedesi's review against another edition

challenging sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I like the build-up of the story and was hooked, read it quickly because I did want to know what happened next. Just some issues with the end result and some of the pacing towards it but overall, great book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, Vomit, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

kissmykassxo98's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Sexual assault, and Murder

carojust's review against another edition

dark funny tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I keep saying I won't read more books like this, and I end up only reading books like this -- model-like waif girls who stumble through drugs, alcohol, vomiting (so much vomiting), questionable sex, and with smeared mascara and broken faces, always stare in the mirror to see how relentlessly beautiful they are. 

See: The Guest by Emma Cline, My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh, Fruit of the Dead by Rachel Lyon

What redeems "Boy Parts" from this tiring blueprint is the Gen Z sense of humor that gives the unreliable narrator, Irina, some personality. She's self-aware, albeit narcissistic, damaged, abusive and horrible, and going through her mental circus with her is incredibly entertaining and honestly thrilling. Eliza Clark gives structure and purpose to the mania, and her general commentary on pretty privilege, consent, sexual violence, and women's shift in power, is really well done. 

I recommend this if you're okay with hateable and gross characters, graphic content, and moral ambiguity.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

kendallinthewild's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

1.5

The extremely violent female gaze is intriguing, the casualness to sexual assault is really honest, but the rest was just too gruesome for me to personally enjoy as I don’t look for that in literature, art, entertainment, etc. For me, there was not enough warning in general reviews that the content would be so unbelievably disturbing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Vomit, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

angelsegg's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use and Violence

imperials's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail