Reviews tagging 'Fatphobia'

Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney

19 reviews

camxies's review

dark mysterious 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

2.5

Um…. Huh???? Did I devour this book in 1 day? Yes. Did it keep me engaged and wondering? Yes!! Was it unhinged? 1,000x yes!!! I don’t even know where to start. Like, I think it’s one thing to throw some doubt into the plot but the ending was so confusing I immediately googled it and nobody else understood it either. 
It was not satisfying. I think there were too many elements that are left open, some of which just seem unnecessary. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Stalking, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Infertility, Murder, Rape, Animal death, Miscarriage, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Vomit

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Fatphobia

klubbgodis's review

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual violence, Murder, Medical trauma, and Miscarriage

Minor: Infertility and Fatphobia

pookiee's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.25

Feeney’s casual writing style and ominous fortune cookie slip phrases make the pages turn fast, as usual. however, this is her debut, and the writing is not as good as in her more recent books.

I dislike reveals that are basically

”bitches be crazy”

, hate

rape

used as a plot device, and there also was not much lead-up to some parts of the explanation. I liked the very end, but then the very very end ruined it for me bc I find

ambiguous “hehe they might still be alive” cliffhanger

cheap.

most English language books I read are American, so a British one is a nice change of pace. I liked seeing all the Britishisms!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Stalking, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Medical content, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Fatphobia, Miscarriage, Infertility, Vomit, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: Excrement, Animal death, and Adult/minor relationship

yaboigrass's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Rape, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Sexual violence, Fatphobia, Body shaming, and Death of parent

maryellis_me's review

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault

Moderate: Fatphobia

support_lesbian's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

2.25

Meh.

I tried to give this book so many chances to prove itself since I saw the potential within it but regardless of this book not being what I wanted it to be it was executed super poorly (the 'before' chapters in particular were not enjoyable to me) and it degraded more into a crass, schlocky, cliche mess of characters that wanted to have every narrative twist to exist.

The longer it goes on the more grating everything gets.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Miscarriage, Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Abandonment, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Rape, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Infertility, and Murder

dnlrbchd's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

This one was a bit of a mess. Stuck it out because I've liked some of Feeney's other books but this one didn't totally do it for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Rape

Moderate: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Infertility, Murder, Death of parent, Stalking, Alcohol, and Medical content

Minor: Alcoholism and Fatphobia

joisaddler's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Gaslighting, Grief, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Death, Fatphobia, Infertility, Medical content, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

magellen's review

dark mysterious sad tense slow-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

3.0

While the plot is twisty and really takes flight at about 75%, you spend most of the book bludgeoned by the phrase 'let herself go' or some adjacent negative assessment regarding every single woman in the book. Seriously it is exhausting, it rises in most chapters, whether it's a pov talking about herself, or her mother, or a coworker, just an endless loop of hate that doesn't add anything and makes the book feel particularly dated. 

The book is a great example of unreliable narration but is likewise tedious in stretches where the mc walks forward and backwards through her thoughts with zero self trust and yes, toxic relationships do instill distrust in one's self, but it just feels like bloat in the narrative when it doesn't stop. Likewise it breaks your trust in all the narratives, breaks the momentum the book has built and becomes a muddle halfway thru. Intentionally done and layered as it is it mostly works but I feel like I only began enjoying the book in the last quarter and prior to that it was simply 'welcome to untreated paranoia'.

Matters did hit a hat on a hat level as the book progressed. An antagonist born of the antagonist born of the protagonist. Yes Edward is a successful red herring but god what a loose thread that could have not been in the book at all except for sexual violence. While I'm pleased for the mc cleaning up her psycho sister in the end (gotta think with your head and not your fists, well done taylor) the bracelet reemerging had me rolling my eyes. Just close it out, jesus christ.

Every character is unlikable, no one ever has an honest conversation and yes sure Sometimes I lie, but the inconsistency and internalized body judgement gets in the way of it being a truly satisfying read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Body shaming, Car accident, Confinement, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, and Rape

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, Bullying, Death of parent, and Medical content

Minor: Kidnapping, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Miscarriage

nylaraven's review

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Fatphobia and Misogyny