Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

151 reviews

heftsi's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

annahamburger's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Grief, Death of parent, Acephobia/Arophobia, Outing, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Cancer, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Vomit, Medical content, and Pregnancy

aussiebroadwayfan's review against another edition

challenging fast-paced

• 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? Yes

1.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Death of parent

the_reading_italian's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

5.0

Oh. My. Gosh. I'm in love with this book. I started reading it as a joke, but I fell in love with the characters and the plot and literally just everything. This is the perfect book and will now be my permanent go-to for anytime I need a comfort read. My favorite part of this book by far was just the relationship between Jack and Elsie. Could it have gotten any better? No. It was that good. I love the way he is in love with her (he learned everything he possibly could about diabetes for her, for gods sake) and I love the way she learns to better herself for him. I love the way they talk to each other and the things that they do together to make the other person in the relationship happy. For real though, 10/10 read!!! I loved every second of it and it was such a great book. Please, please, please read this if you are looking for something uplifting and adorable <3

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, and Death of parent

noellegrace8's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-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 is a great, fun romance read that says a ton about character and careers. I love when romances are also plot-driven, and with the excess (in a good way!) amount of physics concepts, university politics, and familial issues, this absolutely fits the bill. The main characters have electric chemistry, and the side characters are also all fully fleshed out and interesting. I liked the date-for-hire idea for a struggling student who's supposed to be above all of that as an academic. And the brother storyline! Good representation. The fact that they stayed friends was so nice. And I actually teared up two or three times while reading this, even though it's not that dramatic of a plot, because I could just feel the emotion of the characters/ where they were coming from so much. I feel like I could relate to and learn a lot from Elsie.

A few low points for me personally were some of the wording that won't age well & cheesy moments that seemed to lean a bit too much into the classic tropes of the genre instead of modern takes, which is typicsl of Hazelwood, and the epilogue. I'm not really into the trope of adding prologues and epilogues to romance novels, I'm not really sure where that came from and why it's so popular. But this prologue didn't add anything to the plot, and the epilogue was mildly confusing. I felt like maybe it was a callback to something within the book, but if it was, I had completely forgotten about the reference by the time I reached the epilogue. Also, what happened to Kyle?? And, I got annoyed by the idea that Elsie's brothers were fully grown adults acting like children, and the mother is okay with that, AND Elsie entertains it? Moments talking about her brothers fighting over some chick were just not convincing to me at all.

I don't factor audiobook performance into my overall review of a book, but I would give Thérèse Plummer 4/5⭐️. She did a fine performance, although her male voices came across as a bit odd, unlike some other female narrators I've heard.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual content

Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Outing, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Rape, Self harm, Excrement, Medical content, Medical trauma, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Gaslighting

booklifeisthelife's review against another edition

emotional 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? It's complicated

4.5

Such a cute romance. I loved the emotionality of this book. The development of both main characters but especially the first. The journey was sad but moving and hopeful. I loved how

Jack pushed her to grow, to be honest and herself. How he cared for her and making her feel wanted, loved, secure. That it was okay to want things for yourself,  to not mold yourself around other people's ideal. I love that he he helped her get out of that mindset. I also love the women supporting other women. How they won't bash each other. How even if they failed they want the other to succeed. I loved the subtle lgbtqia+ rep, like with the demisexual and aromantic and women couples. I felt seen. I loved her finally telling her mom to shove it and her mom ends up trying to be better which is nice. 

the main thing I disliked was

how hypocritical Jack was at the end, how he lied to her this whole time when he's been trying to get her to be completely honest yet not doing the same. But thats where we see some development from him. I like that he made it right in the science world though, both because of it being the right thing and overdue but also for her.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness and Sexual content

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Medical content, and Gaslighting

Minor: Sexism, Vomit, Death of parent, and Acephobia/Arophobia

avuavu's review against another edition

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Sexism

lizzieb29's review against another edition

funny lighthearted relaxing 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Minor: Emotional abuse, Sexism, and Toxic relationship

mony_12's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Sexism, and Sexual content

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Death of parent

Minor: Toxic relationship, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Outing

adamngoodread's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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? Yes

5.0

This book made me cry in the best way. Any overthinking, anxiety haver will feel so seen by the main character Elsie. It was the best kind of slow burn that doesn’t hit until like pg 280-ish. Then bam! Turn up that heat. 

This book has one of the best crafted scenes involving consent that I have ever read. Even good ones tend to have a little bit of an awkward feel, but after reading this one I had to take a break and explain it to my partner it was so good. Ali managed to craft it in such a way that it never felt awkward. Hand to god, I feel like that scene alone needs to be studied in English and Health classes everywhere. Amazing job.

I appreciate that while things get rocky for our MCs for a moment then is never a big cliff jump. The HEA was sweet, and left me happy with the resolution while also being 100% read to pick right back up with these characters one day.

And as a day 1 fan, I so appreciated the cameo mentioned in Ali’s dedication page, and easter eggs from other books. 

Also, I agree with Elsie - Bella & Alice should have left all those idiots behind and ridden off into the sunset. (pg 5)

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Ableism, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship

Slow burn with descriptive - but NOT graphic - open door intimate scenes in last fourth of book. Done in a respectful manner highlighting consent, and respectful boundaries.