The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
geenahnola's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Vomit, Self harm, Ableism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Body shaming, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Self harm, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Excrement, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Miscarriage, Pedophilia, and Addiction
killmoore_'s review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
As a bigger person who dealt with ED in the past (and still struggles with it today) a lot of our main characters inner monolog hit hard for me.Â
Helen is a tragic character suffering from severe anorexia and body dysmorphia. As she navigates this in her daily life, we witness a horrific downward spiral egged on by the people she chooses to surround herself with. This is a great look at how society shapes us to believe thin = beautiful, even in a world where we are told all bodies are beautiful as they are, and how we will go to extreme measures to feel worthy of love and attention, and to run from the person we see in the mirror.
Lots of over the top body horror, body shaming and extreme depictions of ED in their raw form. Proceed with caution if body image is something you struggle with.
Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Excrement, Fatphobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Addiction, Blood, Death, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Sexual content, Vomit, Gore, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Cursing, Body horror, Drug abuse, and Drug use
horrorhayleigh's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Death, Eating disorder, Chronic illness, Drug use, Fatphobia, Body horror, Medical content, Sexual content, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Alcoholism, Blood, Gore, Child death, and Toxic friendship
annamariereadshorror's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Eating disorder, Body shaming, Body horror, and Gore
Moderate: Vomit
angelinarainey's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Drug use, Dysphoria, Body shaming, Classism, Drug abuse, Self harm, Addiction, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Toxic friendship, Body horror, Gaslighting, Vomit, and Toxic relationship
izpolly's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Eating disorder and Mental illness
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Body shaming, Vomit, and Fatphobia
Minor: Miscarriage
howlinglibraries's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
You never realize how fragile you are until you're already in pieces.
Before I give my thoughts on #thighgap, I feel obligated to tell you that it's likely to be an upsetting read for a lot of readers. Not only does the book detail some gruesome side effects of severely disordered eating (our narrator Helen is very pro-ED), but it also includes a tremendous amount of body-shaming. Nearly everyone Helen meets is deemed too fat, too old, too lazy, and/or too ugly in her eyes, and her perspective on beauty and class is downright nauseating to read at times.
Helen and nearly everyone around her are horribly unlikeable, especially the men she spends the majority of her time with. While the elements of Helen's ED and the things she begins to witness are unsettling all on their own, the parts of this book that actually disturbed me the most were how disgusting some of the men were, whether it was making pedophilic comments or discouraging Helen from seeking treatment because they worried she would gain weight.
Of course, the terrible nature of these characters is a massive part of the appeal in this story: it's like a train wreck you can't quite look away from, even though every page is turning your stomach a little more sour. I had to see what would happen next, what choices Helen would make, and where we were heading with her visions — especially the corpse girl, whose descriptions were genuinely my favorite part of the entire book.
As for the downsides, the dialogue was a little off-putting for me. Helen and multiple other characters constantly pause mid-sentence, complete with ellipses, and it kept pulling me out of the moment. Things also began to feel a little bit repetitive at times, especially with the name-dropping of luxury brands — but I'm someone who's very out of touch with designers and didn't recognize half of the names mentioned, so I don't think they'll bother plenty of other readers who might be more in-tune with the world of fashion.
With these minor negatives aside, I'm still very excited to have finally experienced Chandler Morrison's writing after hearing so many of my friends rave about his work for years, and I'll be back for more, no doubt.
All quotes come from an advance copy and may not match the final release. Thank you to the publisher & Sadie Hartmann for the review copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.Â
Graphic: Fatphobia, Drug use, Eating disorder, Body shaming, Vomit, Alcohol, Self harm, Drug abuse, Bullying, and Classism
Moderate: Gore
Minor: Miscarriage and Pedophilia