erinamerritt's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Gun violence, and Self harm
Moderate: Sexual assault, Drug abuse, and Gore
Minor: Fatphobia
kyrie's review
- 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
Graphic: Suicide and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Fatphobia
miggyfool's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Blood, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Violence, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Medical content, Sexual harassment, Stalking, and Suicidal thoughts
audreyxine's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
First, the narrative was so gripping and the twist was so unexpected. I was led astray by the red herrings, and shocked when it was finally revealed. My reading experience of this book was phenomenal and I had an excellent time.
Secondly, hearing a story from a psychotherapist's perspective was exciting. It was well executed and it was amusing to see the technical language used correctly and expertly. I liked the bit about people learning psychology to heal themselves, I think that part was clever. It was entertaining to see all the ethical and legal violations turn into such a dumpster fire. There is a huge amount of discrimination against BPD, but unfortunately, this is pretty accurate to my experience in mental healthcare.
I was disappointed by the author's portrayal of women. Women fall into the categories of matronly, objects of sexual desire, or bitches (and of course, the bitches are ugly, old, or overweight.
Spoiler
Even Kathy, to represent the decline of her marriage, gains weight and becomes less attractive to Theo.All things considered, this book does have pretty alarming problematic moments, but that took very little away from my enjoyment of it.
Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Car accident, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Stalking, and Suicide attempt
notartgarfunkel's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Torture, Murder, and Infidelity
Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Fatphobia
bashsbooks's review against another edition
- 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
1.75
Also, I have a psychology degree and a personal hatred of Freud and heavily Freudian-psychology. This would probably not bother most people (Farber fits with the pop culture ideas of a psychologist) but it bothers me. His internal monologues are annoying.
Alicia and her art, and how she relates her art to her traumas, are the best things about this book.
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Ableism, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Mental illness, Blood, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Self harm, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Sexual harassment, Fatphobia, Child abuse, and Suicide
Minor: Sexual content
-Specifically a graphic eye injury -Takes place in a psychiatric ward for violent womenkathrynok's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Murder, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Drug use, Death, Emotional abuse, and Blood
fi_nikki's review
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Ableism, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, Torture, Misogyny, Murder, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Fatphobia, Body shaming, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
lindtash's review
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Suicide attempt, and Gun violence
Moderate: Infidelity, Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, and Medical content
Minor: Ableism
saskiahill's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Blood, Car accident, Stalking, Murder, Violence, and Mental illness
Moderate: Drug use, Death of parent, Death, Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gore, Torture, and Gun violence
Minor: Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Eating disorder, Sexual content, and Rape