Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood

162 reviews

suzy86's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

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

2.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

shemcgee's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

Potential spoilers!
I would not consider this a romance. This is a beautifully written but terrible story. Our FMC Wavy is a young girl from an abusive family who forms an unlikely friendship with her father's associate that turns romantic while she is still underage. It's heartbreaking and while some have said they found themselves rooting for this unlikely couple to make it, I found myself grieving the life Wavy deserved. She didn't get what she deserved as a child, so I can see thinking that she should get what she wants as an adult, could even understand wanting that for her. However, I still think that the author wanted you to realize that while Wavy was extremely smart and mature for her age she still wasn't grown when they entered into the beginning of a sexually intimate relationship. She knew what she wanted, but should not have been granted it at that age because she wasn't old enough to understand consent. I have no doubt that Kellen loved her, and protected her in many ways, but not in every way. He still did the wrong thing by taking advantage of her. I know it's been a common occurrence throughout the ages for men to marry girls while they're in their early to mid teen years, and there have been many points throughout history when it's been considered normal; however, normal doesn't mean right. Kids need a chance to be kids. Wavy never got a chance for a safe childhood so in some ways it's like she never really grew up. She experienced so much trauma. So did Kellen. I don't think the author was trying to make you sympathize with or understand pedophilia, I think she was just trying to tell a story of two very complicated people in who loved each other in complicated ways that were definitely not always the right ways. They found a way to be a bright spot for each other in the darkness, and yet I think if anything, the author has shown us that sometimes, love just isn't enough to make a situation right. You might find yourself wishing for peace for them, but wondering if they do get peace, will that be enough for either of them to heal? Both of them are broken, albeit in different ways. Definitely a book that makes you think and certainly not a book for everyone. A troubling read that I would read again.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Moderate: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, and Grief

Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Racial slurs, Racism, and Vomit

veronikarae's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

This was a difficult topic to read and hard to fully grasp in my reflection. You fall in love so easily with the main characters that it’s difficult when faced with the content and inappropriateness of their relationship. It makes you feel empathy for people in hard situations and gives you a new perspective on them. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, and Rape

samskiejo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Car accident, and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Gun violence, Hate crime, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, and Gaslighting

bookishchaos's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

It was difficult to choose a rating for this. It was well written but the story was incredibly sad and disturbing. I was appalled.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Eating disorder, Sexual content, and Murder

Minor: Drug use

kateyt's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Drug abuse

bookreviewswithkb's review against another edition

i am horrified at what i read in these 91 pages. reading about a grown falling in love with a child… there is nothing that can justify a grown man sexualizing a child. i don’t care how much empathy this author can draw for these characters. why should we ever be trying to empathize with a GROWN MAN FALLING IN A LOVE WITH A CHILD?

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Pedophilia

jordanhallie's review against another edition

Extreme adult/minor relationship. Also the fact that the man is Native American that is portrayed as a pedophile. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Pedophilia

jaschamb6's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder

jegulus4life's review against another edition

It was a free book on audible so I didn’t really know anything when I started it at first I was sure that it wasn’t going to go where it went. apparently I naively thought a familial bond was what the relationship was and just became more and more shocked. Once I got about half way through it became very clear this grooming/p*do thing was what the author intended. I looked up the book because I genuinely thought I must be missing something as surely the book would eventually condemn the relationship. It look me a while to even find anyone saying anything about the ages and when I did most people said it it doesn’t shift and show how inappropriate, unethical, and frankly disgusting it is so I immediately returned it. Don’t be tricked by the star ratings on goodreads ect.  ig this is a lesson to look up books before I read them

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Murder