Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

Aesthetica by Allie Rowbottom

26 reviews

toephia's review against another edition

dark reflective 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Drug abuse, and Misogyny

Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault

Minor: Car accident and Vomit

freckledfemale's review against another edition

dark sad 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Rape, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Drug abuse

maggielawler's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse and Sexual assault

Moderate: Eating disorder, Death of parent, Body shaming, and Cancer

morethanmylupus's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

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

3.0

This was a really hard read. I think it's important to think about the impacts of social media and the influencer lifestyle, but it was hard to watch her devolve. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Drug abuse

samuriah's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Medical content, Drug abuse, Body horror, Toxic relationship, and Drug use

torixcat's review against another edition

3.5

feel like fans of patricia lockwood's "no one is talking about this" would enjoy

"Natural is better than prosthetic. Natural is moral. Natural connotes a certain kind of woman, a peaceful wise-woman, a woman like my mother. This is the logic I've let guilt me, guide me; this is the woman I've been trying to become. I have long considered Aesthetica the last step in returning myself to this better, natural state. Even if I could be natural only artificially; even if I could be natural only in death. But I survived." (pg 193)

took a while for me to get through this book but mostly because rowbottom's critiques on social media and the physical vs the digital self really hit hard and essentially led me to spiral and contemplate my own online persona. however the actual story fell below my expectations (and i don't really know what i was expecting). 

Spoiler

i would say that fans who enjoyed "no one is talking about this" would like this book for similar feelings, but also because they have a common plot device of using another character's illness as the contrast whatever is happening in the digital world. i think because of that similarity, i felt like the story wasn't as sharp for me.

really would be interested to see what this author writes next!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual content

Moderate: Drug abuse

Minor: Death of parent and Alcoholism

wichbich's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

3.0

Spoiler

Mom death

. This is a huge theme of the book that is not hinted at at all in the description so please proceed with caution as it could be quite triggering. I was not expecting to encounter this at all but I would say it encompasses the bulk of the story. 

This was an interesting book with an interesting idea. I would say the experience of the narrator is very specific and I don't agree with her a lot of the time. That doesn't make her wrong but her voice is often sort of grandiose as she discusses ideas of universal morals so it does feel a but like being fed a worldview. 

Overall this book feels like less of a narrative and more like a reflection on loss, trauma, and image in the midst of an attempt to realign oneself through even more trauma (and some light stalking). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Death of parent, and Drug use

Moderate: Chronic illness, Rape, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Addiction, Medical content, Self harm, Alcoholism, Body horror, Grief, and Sexual assault

Minor: Car accident and Vomit

ashbuckmaster's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Body shaming, Cancer, Drug abuse, and Eating disorder

ecox180's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-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

4.5

Wow, what a powerful debut novel! Aesthetica tells the story of Anna, a 35 year-old woman who is about to undergo a risky cosmetic procedure that will reverse all of her previous surgeries. While she’s waiting for the surgery, she reflects on her past, when, at 19, she left her mother in Houston and headed to LA to try and make it as an Instagram model. This book is beautifully written, evocative, and explores the dark underbelly of social media influencing. It also touches on mother-daughter relationships and the pressure of societal beauty standards. I really look forward to seeing what Allie Rowbottom writes next! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use and Drug abuse

Moderate: Sexual assault

ohennui's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse and Drug use

Moderate: Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Death of parent, Sexual content, Sexism, Cancer, Eating disorder, Medical content, and Rape