Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Acts of Desperation

The ending of the novel was one that left me with mixed feelings. Not because I didn’t enjoy it, but because it’s one I feel like I need to sit in. I finished it last night and I’m still thinking about it and how it commentates on society through a feminist perspective. I would say that the main character’s monologue at the end was a message for the reader rather than one for herself. I was proud of her for finally being able to break that toxic cycles of abuse that she endured all her life, but it wasn’t in a way that made me jump for joy at her freedom. It was liberating in a very mellow sense and I think there should be more awareness on that, on how getting out of toxic/abusive relationships isn’t always a dramatic and happy ending, but rather one that feels like a fresh of breath air, knowing that there’s finally peace that in some ways, you still need to actively fight for. This is the first story I’ve read where the author did a great job in letting the reader inside the mind of someone who is currently suffering through a toxic/abusive relationship and the complicated feelings that come with it. There were times where I actually felt sympathy for her abuser even when I knew he’s the one that committed the ultimate evil. Overall, I would say this novel has a profound take on feminism, the struggles of women and their relationships with men, and the interesting psychology of a person in a toxic/abusive cycle (relationships or with themselves).

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ramreadsagain's review against another edition

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4.25

I went in to this fully expecting it to be mid and overhyped but I actually loved it!

This is a book about how centralised 'male attention' can become in our lives especially if we are in a vulnerable place in terms of body image and mental health. As young women we are often made to believe that life will be better once we have found a man who will love us, and our unnamed narrator is entirely consumed by this.

This was at times painfully relatable, not in terms of the events, but the strings of thoughts and monologues we get from our narrator. I think the main male character was written extremely well in the way that his background and past shaped who he has become, making it clear that there are reasons behind his behaviour, but that they are explanations, not excuses.

I think I wanted our narrator to experience a bit more growth or at least a bit earlier in the book, the last scenes didn't quite feel like a satisfying ending for me (and I don't mean that in terms of an 'everything is fine now', just in terms of our character's arc) and I would have liked for it to lean further in to the narrator's relationship towards other women and how that might have changed for her.

I can definitely see the comparisons to Normal People. While Acts of Desperation is faster and larger than life, Normal People is a subtler look at some of the same issues.

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jaymeleigh's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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applesodaperson's review against another edition

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fast-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

3.5

So I understand what this book was trying to do, but that doesn't mean I had a good time reading it. It was honestly just sad and frustrating the entire time. Like this mess of a person is just being terrible and self destructive. And I don't always dislike when there is a protagonist that is an unlikable person, but I think this book made her so unredeemable that there was nothing left for me to get invested in and nothing to make me root for her despite her flaws. Like most of her problems were being caused by her, and were easily fixable, which made it so frustrating that she kept making the harmful choices. Also I would have understood her actions way more if Ciaran was like the dream man, but he literally sucks so so bad. He is such a horrible and trash person that I was just so frustrated that she kept pining after him over and over again. Also I really don't like how much she cheated. It was very hypocritical of her and she really should have just broken up with Ciaran instead of cheating on him a million times. Also, heavy trigger warnings for self harm, which I do not think the book handled or presented in a good way at all. At some point it just felt gratuitous.
Overall, I did not like this book, and even though I know what it was trying to say, it still wasn't enjoyable.
Read from the Provo library.

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