Reviews tagging 'Eating disorder'

Penance by Eliza Clark

39 reviews

jmcampbell57's review against another edition

dark reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Mass/school shootings, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

coffeecass's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Toxic relationship, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Lesbophobia, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Body horror, Death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury

kfergy's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

4.0

Really interesting read, especially as someone who has dipped into the true crime genre but also feels an 'ick' about aspects of the rising interest and production within it. Excellent use of framing, given that the reader is told at the beginning that this is a sus publication. Made me glad I'm not in high school anymore and that Tumblr was in its infancy when I was. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Mass/school shootings, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Racism, Self harm, Vomit, and Kidnapping

amy14's review against another edition

dark sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Self harm, Torture, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

plstr's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Torture, Violence, Mass/school shootings, and Murder

Moderate: Gun violence, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, and Racism

rayanaj's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

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

4.0

** spoiler alert ** this book was shaping up to be a five star until i got to the final act- girl c. i understand that the entire point of the book is for it to about how disgusting the true crime industry really is, but i am not a true crime girlie and just found girl c's story hard to read. it made me sick. ill sleep with the light on tonight because it was that unsettling.

the ending was phenomenal though. it wasnt a huge surprise as i had already suspected it as i had been alluded to what themes this novel was exploring, but still impeccably executed regardless.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

seventhswan's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

I'm struggling to articulate why I liked this book so much. The writing is technically sound but very simple, and - unlike Boy Parts - I didn't think the plot was particularly novel or surprising. After all, in terms of storyline and structure, this book isn't too dissimilar to The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels, which I hated. And yet I could not look away from this story.

The attention to detail throughout the story was impeccable. I felt throughout that Clark must have firsthand experience in the communities she writes about, or else have done incredible quantities of research, as all the minor details were so true to life. The setting was a character in its own right and I questioned whether it might be a real place (it isn't). Extreme acts of violence were depicted with such simplicity and restraint that they didn't feel all that affecting - until I tried to put the book down.

A few of the references and allusions in the text felt a bit on the nose for me - either have a generic noncy character or actual Jimmy Savile, but it annoys me to read about Definitely Jimmy Savile But With A Different Name And Haircut - but I loved this book on the whole, and it's cemented Eliza Clark as an "auto-buy" author for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Drug use, Sexual violence, Suicide, Kidnapping, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal death, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent

zombiezami's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Biphobia, Confinement, Deadnaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Vomit, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Gun violence, Racism, Xenophobia, Mass/school shootings, and Pandemic/Epidemic

sstento's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, and Sexual harassment

bellsdixon's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body shaming, Death, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, and Classism