Reviews with content warning for Eating disorder - Acts of Desperation

I think the writing is magnificent and i truly did enjoy reading it. Some scenes were a bit too much for me personally, but not in a sense that they were bad, just that they were really gruesome and a bit hard to read. I think it’s an interesting portrayal of love that isn’t good for any party involved. I wasn´t rooting for any of the characters, but i did feel deep pain for how the mc was feeling because i think that her emotions and her view of the relationship and herself were so beautifully transferred onto paper.

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leasasaa's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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katelinwalsch's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

3.75

Quick read that unfortunately hits a little too close to home. Greatly written, but lugubrious.

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owlribbon's review against another edition

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4.5

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leoniepeonie's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective tense fast-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

4.0

This book was pure pain to read, but wow. Nolan was so precise with the self-destruction of the protagonist and the minutiae of her heartache and emotion, and it was all so visceral and beautifully written.

I went into this book because a friend lent it to me. I'd been putting it off for a long time, suspecting it would be an intense, angsty relationship-y book aaaand reluctant to dive in because of the god-awful cover on the hardback edition. I thought this would be a wallowing book I wouldn't be able to get on board with, and for the first twenty or thirty pages or so I was feeling very, very done with the trope of self-hating 20-something women obsessing over problematic men and relationships. This book had its fair share of that trope within it, but it was done in such a wonderful way that it still had a lot to add to a saturated genre. It was pure toxicity but it explored the emotional depth of what would drive that situation, rather than primarily focusing on the immediacy of pain and difficulty as others in the genre have done. It looked at emotions and experiences directly as well as looking at the depth beneath it, which Nolan did particularly well because of the way she played with time. It had a rawness that was really special, and I raced through the book. I also love a short chapter, so that helped. Excellent.

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aleini's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

3.25

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jgrhcklzccv's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

1.0

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