Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Yerba Buena: A Novel by Nina LaCour

189 reviews

cosmicwillow's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective 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

nina lacour you’ve done it again you legend GOD this was fucking phenomenal!!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, and Blood

Moderate: Drug abuse, Sexual assault, and Alcohol

feistygriesty's review against another edition

Trauma porn. I could handle the first terrible thing but I draw the line at quasi-incestuous rape of a minor. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Grief, and Death of parent

cklen07's review against another edition

emotional fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, and Sexual assault

katwhiskerz's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-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

4.5

I love Nina LaCour. This was my second book from her and she absolutely excels at writing complex female characters. This book is far from the silly, sweet lesbian rom-com I was expecting. I felt deeply for Sara, who underwent a number of traumas and I related to Emilie's lack of direction and identity. Both main characters felt like full, real people and I think that's a testament to LaCour's seamless writing; you can feel how much thought and love she put into their stories. 

I enjoyed the rich descriptions and the yerba buena motif of their relationship being something that is sweet, bitter, and healing. I enjoyed their first meeting. It felt fast and swift, the way love sometimes is. I understand why it may seem insta-lovey to some people though. 

Unfortunately though, things kind of took a downturn for me after the point where Emilie and Sara reconnected a second time. I just thought there could have been a more concise way for Sara to explain her history and maybe more time to really explore their relationship with each other. They spent so much time apart that it was difficult to really envision the two of them together, rather than one idealizing the other. I also saw someone say that the Sara in Emilie's POV felt different than the Sara in her own POV and I wholeheartedly agree. I was hoping this book was another 5 star read, but it was still worth picking up!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Trafficking, and Alcohol

Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Murder

farzanahaque's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, and Death of parent

lorriss's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Grief, and Abandonment

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, and War

grclnntt's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

Nina LaCour, you get me everytime with your books. This one made me cry and slow down and want to look for love in the quiet and small moments. I loved this one so much

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, and Grief

Moderate: Self harm

emfass's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Drug use, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Grief, Abandonment, and Alcohol

calicos's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.5

this was a lot more intense than I was expecting but a lovely, gripping read. I loved how their stories were intertwined and the bittersweet tinge of it all

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Grief

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, and Death of parent

rosieryel's review against another edition

emotional reflective

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

this is the ideal contemporary romance novel to me it avoids so many of the things that often turn me off of the genre and creates such good characters and arcs that even when it does fall into some cliche tropes (the main romance is pretty instalove-y) it doesn’t bother me because it feels so much more real and integrated with a full story 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse and Death of parent

Moderate: Infidelity and Sexual assault