Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Make It Sweet by Kristen Callihan

3 reviews

a_ab's review

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

2.25

2.5* at most. Tried a new to me author with a very mixed result. I liked the writing style for the most part and some characterizations seemed realistic and even raw, but all those positives were brutally hampered by the fact that the whole book is based on ridiculous insta-lust. Which translated into way too many gratuitous sex scenes, some of which were contextually inappropriate. (The author seems to think that orgasms are a miracle cure for all migraines(!!!) - special miracle migraines, maybe.) 

Therefore, even my usual technique of just skipping the sex scenes didn't work in this book - it was like walking in a mine field: the most unsexy, sex-irrelevant situations got interrupted by explicit sex thoughts or ended up being inappropriate setups for a sex scene. Eww.

The sex also got in the way of the relationship between the characters. Too much lust clouds both judgement and motivation, so it was difficult to gauge how reliable the first person narrators were when we got to see their thoughts about each other. But at least there were relationship building moments outside of sex - enough of them to be the saving grace of the book and the reason why I finished it despite its mine field qualities.

In conclusion: 
Can this author write? Yes. 
Can she write something I would really enjoy reading? Doubtful, but perhaps detailed reviews can help me figure it out in the future. 

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readwithelle's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful slow-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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entanglednovels's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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

4.25


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