Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Delicate Condition: A Novel by Danielle Valentine

36 reviews

chel_sey's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense 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

4.25

I’ve heard a lot of mix things about this book, but I believe it’s worth reading. It’s absolutely insane and twisted and you don’t know what to believe with Anna but then you can’t help but sympathize for her. It’s honestly sick and twisted and I loved it, it was such a rush and I couldn’t stop reading it!!!! Also don’t be desperate, something will hear you…..;)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

jmlytle's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Infertility, Miscarriage, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Vomit, and Stalking

Minor: Infidelity

thegayestghost's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Infidelity

rashelg's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

5.0

At first I added this book because I saw that it inspired the new season of AHS. Personally, I disliked the season but decided to give the book a chance and honestly the show did not do justice to the book at all. I loved the themes that women have to face in real life such as having their pain ignored by physicians and those around them. Especially, when it comes to things that individuals that experience child rearing and child birth go through.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

Minor: Animal death

saphira7's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

3.5

This book let me down. The writing style wasn’t really for me. I will say the body horror was on point. The build up of suspense and mystery had me on a hold. 

The story itself was great. It’s just the execution that lost me.

Although I understand the choice of everything not actually being attributed to some supernatural force in the end (as to highlight the experience women go through being gaslighted in medical care, but also in general, by mirroring it back to the reader) I can’t help but feel disappointed.

There are still many unanswered questions. The ending was a bit rushed. I remember being around the 100 pages left mark and thinking that it wouldn’t be enough to tie the loose ends. What happened to all the women in those change of POV chapters? Also the underlying message of women having to stick together came off very flat to me (in the sense of white feminism). It was a lot of talk but nothing shown. 

Overall it was a nice read. I just didn’t like how everything was tied up, or lack thereof for some things, at the end

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Gore, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Blood, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Stalking, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

luna_98's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

this book was like a fever dream

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Miscarriage, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Death, Infertility, and Infidelity

peachani's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Car accident, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Infertility, Medical trauma, and Gaslighting

Minor: Animal death, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Blood, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

lucykae's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Cancer, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

catinseas's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Infidelity, Sexism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting

Minor: Animal death, Cancer, Racism, and Terminal illness

Medical misogyny, medical racism, the history of racism and abuse in medical research. There are many vignettes showing this through the past couple hundred years.

coffee_on_the_pages's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious sad tense medium-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

A feminist horror story about female hysteria, medical gaslighting, and a hint of the paranormal. 

The real horror in this story is how it so accurately depicts the way women are treated by the medical industry. 
The story follows our main character, Anna, a newly famous actress nearing 40 and trying to concieve. The first part of the book deals with Anna's difficult and painful IVF journey. Trying to juggle her newfound fame while also dealing with the barrage of contradictory do's and dont's of what women should or should not be doing while trying for a baby. Anna finds herself getting increasingly paranoid that someone is out to sabotage her when appointment times keep changing, medicines get left out of the fridge, and ominous messages are left om social media. 
Things take an even more dramatic turn for the worst once Anna finally conceives, with a sinister stalker, a mountain of doctors who just wont listen, and a terrifying amount of gaslighting. Absolutely no one will listen to Anna and she slowly believes she is going crazy. 

Interwoven with Anna's story is the stories of many other women both past and present, throughout these the author details the struggles black women in particular have went through in regards to childbirth. She tells of how black women have a higher mortality rate during childbirth, and how in the past they were used for experiments with no anesthesia in the name of medical advancements. While not the main focus of the book it is great that authors like Danielle are shining a light on these issues that are still prevalent today and are so often ignored. 

This book is full of twists and turns and so many times I thought I had finally figured it out and predicted what would happen next I was proved wrong. While the majority of the book feels like more like a thriller with a deranged stalker things take a paranoral turn until finally at the end everything clicks into place! Truly wonderfully written and had me on the edge of my seat. I would highly recommend to anyone after some feminist horror. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Cancer, Infidelity, Medical content, and Medical trauma