Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

84 reviews

froggy1png's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

A real insightful read, so beautifully written 😭✨👏🏻

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Biphobia, Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

orlagal's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

pm_me_book_recs's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

 I listened to this via Libro.fm- it's read by the author and absolutely incredible. Highly highly reccomend. Their tone is meditative, the cadence is hypnotic and dreamy.

An amalgamation of Nigerian folklore and spirituality, psuedo-autobiographical origin story, examination of mental health, sexuality, and gender expression, and deep effects of multiple traumas. Despite coming from a completely different situation and life, I found reflections of my experiences, which helped me feel real and seen. I think many other Queer and/or non-conforming folks could find cathartic comfort here as well. I wouldn't call this a "happy" story, but cathartic (emotionally purging). You're gonna cry, ugly sad mortified cry, but also warm hug after a bad day cry.

I'm so excited to read EVERYTHING else by Akwaeke Emezi, their new novel "Little Rot" comes out this Spring, and they're currently releasing a new album 🔥

CW: rape, disordered eating, suicide, self-harm, addiction, gaslighting, psychosis, dysmorphia, emotional/physical abuse, medical trauma, trans/homophobia, death, miscarriage. Definitely check StoryGraph for more in depth analysis of content warnings if there are specific topics you wish to avoid. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Dysphoria

michaelion's review against another edition

challenging dark informative mysterious reflective tense 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

Akwaeke Emezi, I will find you one day. One day, I will find you. I will drop to my knees. And I will ask for your hand in marriage.

They peeled my scalp back, cracked my skull open, and wrote exactly what's going on in my brain. What the heck Akwaeke Emezi my future spouse. How dare you. I love you. I guess I'm an ogbanje? Is it appropriative of me to say that even though I know my ancestry comes from Nigeria I'm just not sure which people group? Anyway anyway. I am her and they is me and I am we. Amazing. I'm so glad I chose to pock this up this month. THIS IS Black history NOW !!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Violence, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Colonisation

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Transphobia, and Medical content

zumpers's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail

hereforthefunofit's review against another edition

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

3.5

it's definitely interesting but i didn't really get that much from the book other than an intriguing concept and nice quotes. sometimes that it is enough, but it wasn't the case for me here.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

leechspit's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

Absolute poetry.  A journey with heartbreak and layers of complex thoughts and feelings. Ada is a beautiful character who goes through so much and we are blessed and cursed to read along.
The trauma and transition of Ada make you feel scared, and angry, and mad. I could read this book again and again losing myself in that raw feeling.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Racism, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

grebegirl's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts

sallymodz123's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-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

5.0

Beautiful, but honestly at times painful, story about a person with DID. Well written and thought provoking

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail

grandiose_r's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Infertility, Racism, Transphobia, Lesbophobia, Cultural appropriation, and Gaslighting

Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Pedophilia, Vomit, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, and Outing