Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko

15 reviews

robinks's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.25

It was lovely to hear Kiyoko narrating her own novel. Having other voice actors and certain sounds within the audiobook was an interesting choice but also ended up taking me out of the story. I found myself rolling my eyes at some of the scenes too.

I also haaaated Sonya’s character, which made Coley’s feelings for her hard to understand, and I’m annoyed that they end up together (though I do appreciate the nod to the Girls Like Girls music video).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Drug use, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Outing, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Vomit, Abortion, and Pregnancy

kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

I thought this was really a sweet story about initial love and finding out who you are but I really disliked the characters in the story, particularly Sonya and Trenton. I don’t like the way that love is portrayed in some ways, particularly as something that always has elements of harm or hurt. That’s an unhealthy way to describe love, especially to the target audience of this novel which are upper middle/high school aged kids. I didn’t love the ending, because it felt like a cop out. The characters hadn’t changed all that much and they weren’t ready to make the choices they had made — it all felt too sped up. But, Coley and her dad building a relationship out of really negative circumstances was a beautiful plot line. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

miloblue's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-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? It's complicated

2.75

Best Seller, Shmest Beller…. this book was….OK.

my main disappointment was that Coley ended up with Sonya, who didn’t really redeem herself AT ALL.

It’s a pretty big angst fest throughout, but I did appreciate how Coley kinda did some work and have some growth.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Gaslighting

Minor: Physical abuse, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

micaelacccc's review against another edition

emotional sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Grief, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Suicide, Violence, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Minor: Abortion

jennabeck13's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

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

2.0

Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko

⭐️⭐️ (2/5)

Genre: Romance

About 305 pages

Sonya is your typical popular teenage girl. She can get any guy she wants, is a beautiful dancer, and gets invited to all the parties. Meanwhile, Coley just moved to town after losing her mother and is trying to make friends, which is how the two of them meet one day. From that day forward, their lives will change. They have an attraction neither has ever experienced before. But Sonya is afraid to come to terms with her sexuality, and Coley is terrified of being left behind again. If they never discuss their feelings for one another, can they ever come together in the way they hoped?

I’ve been a fan of Becca Tilley since she was on The Bachelor, and since she has been dating Hayley, that’s how I came to know Hayley and therefore this book. This was a cute novel, but not my favorite. I feel like it was targeted more at the young adult demographic, as the characters felt very immature at times. I was not a fan of Sonya, but I did like Coley and wish we got to see her stand up for herself more often. I also wish we got to read more about how her relationship with her dad grew, as I really enjoyed the little bit of that that we got in this book.

Favorite Quote: “We can’t control what people do— how they betray us or even why. How they leave our lives. So many people are running scared. And sometimes they run back to us and earn back our trust. But the ones who don’t come back— or who don’t work to earn back what they lost from us— we have to learn how to let them go.”

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Content Warnings

Minor: Bullying, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

historianvik's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

I enjoyed like 95% of the book. The plot was interesting and I loved how the characters were built. I hadn't seen the music video before (watched it after I read the book) so it was all new to me. I think things were too fast towards the end. I like how Curtis wasn't villianized and actually present. I wanted more from the ending

i wanted curtis's reaction and to read about the consequences of trenton's actions. Also how Colby and Sonia naviagted school beyond the summer

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Abortion

changomarango's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful 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? No

5.0

it seriously amazing, it made me cry, and it’s such a nice book if you’re looking for some wholesome but real wlw love

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Outing, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Homophobia, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Abortion, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, and Gaslighting

eleanor029's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Bullying, Drug use, Homophobia, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Mental illness, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Abortion, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy

britt_zonnebloempit's review against another edition

emotional hopeful fast-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

2.5

I wanted to love this more. I truly do. The Girls Like Girls video was my life! But this was so so so toxic. There's so much alcohol and drug abuse, it's not even funny.

I truly think that beating Trenton up was a bad choice. Coley truly was a good girl, despite her past, but she stooped to Trenton's level and I felt like a disappointed parent upon reading it. Both Sonya and Blake were bad for her, only getting her into bad situations, and though I understand her rebound moment with Blake I definitely don't understand her getting with Sonya...

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Addiction, Physical abuse, Violence, Lesbophobia, and Gaslighting

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

riella_reads's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted fast-paced

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

2.75

 I love hayley kiyoko and have for years. I was excited for this book but this is her debut and it showed. I really enjoyed the story and characters. I especially loved the AIM messenger throwback from the 2000s.

However ultimately this needed to be a bit more fleshed out, especially at the end. The end felt way too rushed, like you were finishing up the last page of an essay you had to turn in the next morning.

Also, f Trenton and Brooke. This book did not give me any justice in regards to them 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Alcohol