Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha

16 reviews

beeanka_reads's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Sexism, and Alcohol

jiao_li's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Violence

thania's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

It was a fast paced and enjoyable read, I wish the author continued to write more beyond the ending she gave. Overall, it was a satisfying book that gave us a glimpse into the dark side of Korean society.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse

Minor: Miscarriage and Sexual content

leannanecdote's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

vintovka's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

3.5

So, the thing you need to understand about IIHYF is it's painfully short. I doubt it has more than 70k words, while having five main characters and four p.o.v.'s. So. Yeah.

The book got surprising amount of events and things happening on its pages, but not a lot of character development.  Most of it is ambigiously left off screen. Did Ara realise something about the nature of parasocial relationship and consumption? Does Wonna have a chance of actually being a good mother in the future, or will her trauma ruin any of her children? Will Miho get over her friend's suicide, and what will it do to her? Will Seunjin regret going down the route of debt and prostitution? I don't know. I can only guess. Which kind of leaves me wondering what even was the point. 

I love reading about the good, the bad and the ugly of different female experiences, so I was excited for this book. It gave of vibes of kind of an antithesis to girls' fairy tales and female wish-fullfillment fantasies. It's not _not_ that, but because it's not anything at all. I got attached to the characters and their lives, but the ending left me stumped. What did the book want to say? What was the point of me reading all that?

The book's redeeming qualities are being short and having good, flowing prose, but in the end, IIHYF is a snapshot of how it sucks to be a poor south korean woman, and it doesn't have anything more than that.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Misogyny, Sexism, Medical content, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Abortion, and Death of parent

chaisitolatte's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Abandonment

mschwa1118's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense 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? Yes

4.25

If I Had Your Face was a lovely novel written from multiple perspectives of a few interconnected South Korean twenty-something women. It had strong themes regarding beauty standards, treatment of women, and family issues, among other, that taught me quite a lot. Each character was so different, but they all complemented each other so poetically in the grand scheme. My only wish is that it was a little longer! I look forward to Frances Cha releasing her next novel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence

helliepad's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective 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? Yes

3.75

The story is so short but it's like buying an assortment of donuts in one donut box. You get to enjoy all of them even if you wanted more. I am also very fond of the theme that it's women looking out for other women in this world. We have each other's faces, etc.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

Minor: Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

pvid's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicide, Medical content, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Classism

nondelicate's review

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Medical content, and Abandonment