Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo

6 reviews

onehtl1ama's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Grief, Alcohol, and Blood

Moderate: Transphobia and Domestic abuse

introverted_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

5.0

babe wake up and smell the petrol.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death, Blood, Body horror, Gore, Murder, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, and Alcohol

Moderate: Vomit, Physical abuse, Racism, Terminal illness, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Homophobia, Death of parent, Cancer, Car accident, and Sexual content

Minor: Religious bigotry and Fire/Fire injury

zghutcheson01's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

4.75

I really loved this book. It took me about 30 pages to get into it but once I did I couldn't put it down. Without spoilers, I do enjoy how this book came to a satisfying ending without frantically rushing to resolve all of the character issues. It let the book feel like a peek into someone's life and you know things are going to change but that the hardest part is over. The nurder mystery part isn't super compelling but I honestly think that's not the main point of the book which is the character development and exploration of the supernatural which it does really well.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, Grief, Suicide, Violence, Racism, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Classism

Moderate: Confinement, Addiction, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Domestic abuse and Transphobia

remimicha'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? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Murder, Body horror, Toxic friendship, Grief, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Violence, Drug use, Death, Torture, Suicide, Blood, and Homophobia

Moderate: Classism, Racism, Car accident, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, Medical content, and Eating disorder

ritapisk's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense

5.0

genuinely cannot comprehend what I just read without going feral but it sure was paranormal and homosexual. 10000 stars

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Gore, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Drug use

Minor: Homophobia, Transphobia, Domestic abuse, and Racism

booksthatburn's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense 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

5.0

SUMMER SONS is a long exhalation after a reckless sprint, a tale of grief and queer masculinity as Andrew slowly wrestles with who his best friend was to him, and the betrayal he feels at finding out after Eddie’s death that other people knew different sides. Andrew begins by resenting every new thing he finds, every way that Eddie was someone else with someone else, and disturbed that these other people would have any interest in knowing him too. As he slowly works his way through his resentment and grief (with the help of an occasional punch to jolt him out of his own ass), Andrew gets closer to the car-racing, hot, young men who filled Eddie’s nights, circling warily around the academics of Ahis days who seem hell-bent on making Andrew pick up where Eddie left off. The problem is that Andrew doesn’t know who he and Eddie were, and the achingly slow process of figuring out what that was is being complicated by the way Eddie’s haunt keeps filling Andrew’s throat with earth, loam, dirt, and death whenever he has a moment alone. 

The characterization is complex and well-executed, generally following Andrew’s understanding of the people around him. As he’s able to observe more from behind the veil of his grief, they, too, come into focus. It's a story of queer masculinity, including the difficult tangle of emotions which can make embracing one's queerness without giving up masculinity in the context of a rural Southern existence. 

This is beautiful and ultimately satisfying, unafraid to fill itself up with jagged pieces and look you in the eye as it names the broken bits one by one in their slow exhumation from Andrew’s soul. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Cursing, Homophobia, Grief, Alcohol, Drug use, Vomit, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Violence, Murder, Death, and Suicide

Moderate: Racism, Fire/Fire injury, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, and Gore

Minor: Transphobia and Domestic abuse