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Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'
The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman
7 reviews
mildlypretentiousreader's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- 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
1.0
The Star Crossed Sisters of Tuscany promises to be a lighthearted yet whimsical book about unraveling the true story behind the Fontana Second-Daugther Curse as well as looking beyond strenuous family ties--all while set behind the angelic and captivating backdrop of an Italian summer. If you are looking for that kind of book, promptly tuck this book away and look elsewhere.
The Star Crossed Sisters of Tuscany might have been one of the most disappointing and boring books I have read to date.
In the Italian-American Fontana family, a curse was placed on all second-born daughters of Fontanas in which they are destined to never find lasting love. Over two hundred years later, this curse remains steadfast--no Fontana second-born daughter has had meaningful love. Two cousins, Emilia and Lucy, happen to be in that bunch. Their great-aunt, Poppy (a fellow second-born daughter), swears that if the three of them return to Italy, the curse will be broken. Deeply skeptical, both Emilia and Lucy reluctantly agree. Little do the two cousins know, Aunt Poppy's Italian past provides for an ulterior motive for their return to Italy. Thus, the story ensues... filled with a number of love interests, old and young, past and present, and thrilling experiences.
All the characters, except Poppy, were one-dimensional at best. Most were flat and felt more like filler characters rather than key components of the story. For instance, our main protagonists: Emilia and Lucy, are both tiresome. Emilia, who is almost 30 years old, is pushed around by her family and bends at their every will. Lucy is written off as a spoiled, annoying, and hypersexual young adult. Neither of the two girls is given any chance to grow into their selves. Both are incredibly flawed as well to the point where it seems almost comical. Emilia regularly slut-shames Lucy for being more provocative than herself, while Lucy enjoys being inconsiderate to her elderly Aunt Poppy. Neither is likable, and both of their developments make me cringe.
The Star Crossed Sisters of Tuscany might have been one of the most disappointing and boring books I have read to date.
In the Italian-American Fontana family, a curse was placed on all second-born daughters of Fontanas in which they are destined to never find lasting love. Over two hundred years later, this curse remains steadfast--no Fontana second-born daughter has had meaningful love. Two cousins, Emilia and Lucy, happen to be in that bunch. Their great-aunt, Poppy (a fellow second-born daughter), swears that if the three of them return to Italy, the curse will be broken. Deeply skeptical, both Emilia and Lucy reluctantly agree. Little do the two cousins know, Aunt Poppy's Italian past provides for an ulterior motive for their return to Italy. Thus, the story ensues... filled with a number of love interests, old and young, past and present, and thrilling experiences.
All the characters, except Poppy, were one-dimensional at best. Most were flat and felt more like filler characters rather than key components of the story. For instance, our main protagonists: Emilia and Lucy, are both tiresome. Emilia, who is almost 30 years old, is pushed around by her family and bends at their every will. Lucy is written off as a spoiled, annoying, and hypersexual young adult. Neither of the two girls is given any chance to grow into their selves. Both are incredibly flawed as well to the point where it seems almost comical. Emilia regularly slut-shames Lucy for being more provocative than herself, while Lucy enjoys being inconsiderate to her elderly Aunt Poppy. Neither is likable, and both of their developments make me cringe.
At its core, The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany attempts to be a feminist novel. However, all it does is project sexism and internalized misogyny. Lucy is continuously oversexualized. As we learn later on, Lucy is actually gay, but still her romantic and sexual relationships with people feel incredibly rushed and unrealistic.<spoiler/> Again, Emilia is a fan of slut shaming.
To make it worse, Emilia's entire character arc revolves around her becoming more feminine and confident about men. According to many of the book's characters, that's what makes a woman a woman. To me, this thinking is incredibly stupid. Why is womanhood defined as just femininity and men? What about women who dress more androgynous or masculine? What about the women who are not into men? Or who are into multiple genders?Essentially, the entire thesis of The Star Crossed Sisters of Tuscany is that having men falling at your feet = being a confident woman. Yet, Lucy ends up gay. That just seems antithetical to the whole plot, does it not?<spoiler/>
To make it worse, Emilia's entire character arc revolves around her becoming more feminine and confident about men. According to many of the book's characters, that's what makes a woman a woman. To me, this thinking is incredibly stupid. Why is womanhood defined as just femininity and men? What about women who dress more androgynous or masculine? What about the women who are not into men? Or who are into multiple genders?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Homophobia
amandalawrance's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
5.0
I did not expect to like this book as much as I did. I saw reviews that applauded how vivid the author made Italy through their writing and that is what initially led me to reading it. It was great though and there were parts that really hit home for me so I felt such a deep connection to this book. Definitely made me cry more than once.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
Minor: Homophobia
starshine1's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Infertility, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and War
readwithde's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
4.5
Wow. I loved everything about this book: the family and political drama, the curse of Fontana second-born daughters, the travel through Italy, everything.
As a girl with an Italian grandmother and German grandfather, Poppy and Rico's story hit me in a different way, especially when a twist revealed Emilia (and Daria) were their grandchildren, not Rosa's. How the curse affected the family -- from Rosa's desperation to wed and bear children, to Daria's prison of family, to Lucy's self-betrayal, and Emilia's forced contentment -- the women of the Fontana family suffered for generations, each poisoning the last in defense of their own actions and choices.
If nothing else, the book taught me so much about hope and determination, that no matter what obstacles lie before you, "it's possible." This was a cathartic getaway and poignant reminder to choose love, life, and joy.
As a girl with an Italian grandmother and German grandfather, Poppy and Rico's story hit me in a different way,
If nothing else, the book taught me so much about hope and determination, that no matter what obstacles lie before you, "it's possible." This was a cathartic getaway and poignant reminder to choose love, life, and joy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
Minor: Miscarriage, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and War
madsmcw_reads's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
dianasreadingcorner_01's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
claudiamacpherson's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
To be honest, I expected a lot more from this book. I’d heard good things about it and the premise sounded interesting, but it ended up being just okay. The characters were pretty one-dimensional and a bit annoying, and I got secondhand embarrassment for them in more than one scene. I did like the ending though! I was so worried that the author was going to let Emilia end up with her childhood friend despite her clearly not having real chemistry with him, so I was happy that it worked out. I wish he hadn’t ended up with her cousin (was that their relationship? idk) and reminded me a little of the Jo/Laurie/Amy love triangle in Little Women, but better than ending up miserable with your childhood bestie, amiright?
Happy ending meter (no specific spoilers, just the vibe of the ending): Happy! It definitely got very close to the end before things were resolved, so I was fully prepared for it to end in a way I didn’t like, but thank god things got wrapped up eventually!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Car accident, Death of parent, and Pregnancy