Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan

74 reviews

bubblybelle's review

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.25

this book unfortunately just didn’t live up to my expectations. it made a lot of poignant commentary about the way mothers are treated in our society, especially mothers of color; however, the plot really dragged at times. the romance subplot towards the middle there also didn’t really add much for me. overall, this was fine but not great. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Abandonment

Moderate: Self harm and Suicide

Minor: Miscarriage and Pedophilia

lillieharrisonsaunders's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Abandonment

theemptybox's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

Emotionally wrecked from this book. As a mixed Asian-American, a lot of these lines hit HARD and a lot of the scenarios were very familiar. As someone with little to no maternal instincts, a lot of this book was teeth grinding and wanting to yell at the background characters. 

There is no wrong or right way to raise a child but there are some universal ways that should be included for every child. This book is thought provoking in ways I never would have guessed. Along with the question of what makes a good mother, this book challenges racial, sexual, and gender questions. It's a psychological horror and I loved it. 

I loved how quickly it moves while also layering back sometimes to provide context. I was on the edge of my seat for a good chunk of it. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

cartermon4's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

I was so frustrated throughout the book, but it definitely hints at real world inequalities and insane expectations for mothers.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Moderate: Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, and Car accident

talonsontypewriters's review

challenging dark emotional sad 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

4.5

jesus fucking christ

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Moderate: Ableism, Body horror, Confinement, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Vomit, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Car accident, Lesbophobia, and Fire/Fire injury

rei_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Body shaming, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Medical content, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexual assault and Pregnancy

jess_eliza's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicide, Medical trauma, and Abandonment

Moderate: Confinement

Minor: Lesbophobia and Alcohol

afrenette's review against another edition

dark emotional slow-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Minor: Sexual assault and Kidnapping

erica_reads_things's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

Heartwrenching and infuriating. The type of dystopian that doesn't really seem that dystopian compared to the realities under the surface of child protective services and the unrealistic expectations on mothers today. A great look into generational immigrant trauma, motherhood (especially compared to fatherhood), mistakes, and love. The midsection could have been tightened up a bit, but I still appreciated how the details of daily life highlighted just how long this felt to the mothers too. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicide, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Body shaming, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

bookdragonkatie's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Infuriating. An extremely well-written and well-crafted novel, but absolutely infuriating and heart-wrenching. Check TW/CW before picking this one up; it is not a book I would recommend to just anyone, but I do think those who enjoy dystopian novels, particularly those novels that feel real or that they *could* see happening in the near future, will enjoy this read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail