Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

Girlcrush by Florence Given

20 reviews

beccajreads's review

fast-paced

• Loveable characters? No

2.0

I think this was a hate-read. There was so much I disliked but I couldnt stop reading. 

And why was it set in 2030 when there's nothing in the story to make it feel like it's set in the future? It gives pre-2020 vibes for sure. 

I think it has potential to be a good story but it has too much going on,  and it's really really trying hard to convince you it's feminist but it really really doesn't feel like it is. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Self harm, and Sexual assault

thebookishowl4's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting

Moderate: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Infidelity, and Misogyny

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail

friendly_neighborhood_grandma's review against another edition

2.25

I love florence given. But i had a hard time liking this book. I love the writing, but the plot was a bit confusing. At the end it makes sense but the middle bit was hard for me to get through. I would recommend this for women in their 20s that had been through some tough times. Not for everyone... 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment

Abuse of power

shaylees's review against another edition

dark funny medium-paced

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

1.25

This book felt unfocused, and like it couldn’t decide whether it wanted to spoonfeed and spell out all the most basic ideas of white western feminism or force you to read between the lines to have any understanding of what’s actually meant by the words on the page. Rose was really loveable,

and I would have loved to see more of them, or at least have their story wrapped up in some way?

, the settings for parties and sex scenes were very engaging and immersive, and the premise has a lot of promise. However, this book needed a few more rounds of editing, a lot more fleshing out, and maybe a sensitivity reader or some more research on the queer nightlife scene. That said, I am definitely interested in seeing what this author does in the future with a bit more experience! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Outing, and Alcohol

wilbur42's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective medium-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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Biphobia, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

Minor: Self harm

megspiteri's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

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

2.75

I really don't know how to feel about this book. Some parts really made me think about the concepts of influencers and cancel culture and felt very much like an episode of black mirror. But other bits I just did not get. I didn't like or understand the directors notes that were occasionally included. The ending was pointless too, I felt that there needed to be a big revelation or something and it just ended. Some parts were scarily relatable and could easily happen but overall I just didn't get it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Sexual content

Moderate: Rape, Self harm, and Sexual assault

kenzibir's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

Man I have mixed feelings about this book! I enjoyed it, it has some important messages in it, but I was hoping for more of a queer romance book. Definitely worth the read but prepare yourself for a darker plot than you you think it’ll be! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Dysphoria

fernfrrt's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad 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

5.0

I loved it 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Biphobia, Bullying, Self harm, and Sexual assault

withlivjones's review against another edition

funny reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I really wanted to love this book. The exploration of a life lived on the internet is a super relevant and interesting topic imo, and Given makes some good points about what it’s like being a queer woman (particularly a newly out queer woman) in modern internet culture, facing off against biphobia and sexism and armies of incels. I particularly loved the parts where the lines between what was real and what was fake started to blur, and it felt a bit trippy to read. I was definitely entertained, but honestly this book just felt like a story I’ve heard many times before - MC accidentally becomes popular, MC does everything in their power to maintain said popularity but ends up losing the people they love and their own identity in the process, MC is betrayed by their new “friends” and loses everything they worked for but learns they were better off where they were anyway, etc. It’s very Mean Girls and doesn’t do much to say anything new. I wasn’t sure whether we were supposed to be rooting for Eartha or against her, because on the one hand she is written to be very relatable (and her internal monologue is pretty fun to read!), but on the other hand she makes bad decision after bad decision until you struggle to defend her. I felt like the supporting characters were a bit one-dimensional and caricature-ish as well. Overall, it’s not a bad book and parts of it were definitely enjoyable! It just didn’t quite live up to my expectations. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Misogyny, and Sexism

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Gaslighting

itsme_lucy_hi's review

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Self harm, and Sexual assault

Minor: Biphobia