Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan

141 reviews

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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1414's review against another edition

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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

4.75


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flatreads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring sad tense medium-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

4.75


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natashia_18's review against another edition

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emotional reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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takamalaika's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-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

4.5


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matigiuro's review against another edition

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

3.75


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carolrol_lina'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? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

bem ok! O role molieres depressivas começou a me cansar em certo ponto,, mas eh bom! capitulos curtos!

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edgaranjapoe's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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eralbesu's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-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

If this were autobiographical I’d say it’s an extremely brave piece of work, because ~whew~ Acts of Desperation was quite precisely named. 

This reads as a confessional from our main character about her obsessions with love and sex and her volatile relationship with her body and her compulsion to punish it. 

There were many parts that were difficult for me to read and plenty of parts where I had to step away because of my embarrassment with the our main character’s sheer honesty about her actions and her intentions. 

Not sure I could recommend it, as the trigger warnings are plentiful, but I’m happy I read it. 

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