Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

All the Bad Apples by Moïra Fowley-Doyle

8 reviews

achay91's review against another edition

challenging sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Forced institutionalization, Sexism, Pedophilia, Abortion, Alcohol, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Misogyny, Pregnancy, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Incest, Rape, Homophobia, Cursing, Grief, Sexual assault, and Suicide

Minor: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, and Child death

alissa_m's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Bullying, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Lesbophobia, Pregnancy, and Suicide

Minor: Biphobia, Outing, and Rape

uncreativeoops's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring 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? No

4.5

Such an important story, based on actual historical sources. I loved the mix of fairy tale tropes and contemporary road trip. The writing was also gorgeous, I didn't want to stop reading. Some of the plot twists were pretty obvious and the message was a bit too spelled out for me (although thats a general thing in YA that annoys me) and I feel the banshee concept had more potentual than was in the end used, but all in all a very enjoyable read (also enraging, frustrating and sad, but that doesn't take away from the enjoyment).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Bullying, and Outing

Moderate: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Rape

Minor: Suicide

offbrandclubsoda's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective fast-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? No

4.0

Possible spoiler - read if you want to know what chapters to skip for a specific CW:

Detailed depiction of rape/incest in Ch. 18
Abortion and anti-choice propaganda/experiences in Ch. 30

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Abortion, Misogyny, Pregnancy, and Incest

Moderate: Bullying, Hate crime, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Suicide, and Outing

Minor: Vomit, Infidelity, and Miscarriage

karapillar's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Bullying, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Abortion, Biphobia, Blood, Death of parent, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Pregnancy, Suicide, Vomit, Misogyny, and Outing

ellas_escapism's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

After reading the book, 100% read the Author's Note as well - it is very informative and essential to read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry and Child abuse

Moderate: Abortion, Rape, Homophobia, Death, Child death, Bullying, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Cancer, Suicide, and Incest

This book has so many different content warnings (including slut-shaming which I could not tag here) but is such an incredibly important and informative book to read. However, I also highly recommend doing independent research and readings before/after the book.

water_violin's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry

Moderate: Abortion, Addiction, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

lilifane's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

 
Cry. Rage. Speak out. Break the stigma. Break the curse.

This book wasn't at all what I was expecting and I was NOT prepared for it.

After the death of their mother shortly after her birth, Deena is raised by her two older sisters Rachel and Mandy. On her seventeenth birthday she accidently comes out to her family and discovers there is a family curse. Girls that are differend, that deviate from the norm, are considered bad apples, and bad things happen to them. To protect Deena, Mandy leaves to try and break the curse. She doesn't return. Her car is found abandonded at a cliff, her bloody clothes at the shore, no sign of her body. After Mandy's funeral Deena finds a mysterious note at her sister's place that starts a scavanger hunt/road trip through Ireland. Convinced, her sister isn't dead, Deena follows her steps and discovers her family's secret and tragic history along the way.

This book takes so many different things I love and combines them. Queer/diverse characters, a multi generation family history with secrets to uncover, a scavenger hunt/road trip, a wholesome friends group, magic/supernatural, a mystrious atmosphere, beautiful/eerie scenery, abandoned places and ruins. And that's only the first half of the book.

Because what starts as a casual coming of age/coming out story, develops into this meaningful critique on our misogynistic society and the catholic church and results in a women empowring manifesto.

I'm giving this book 5 stars because of all the things I loved in it, because it surprised me (and this doesn't happen often) and because it has an important message. But there were some minor things that were bothering me while reading. The really negative, one dimensional depiction of the catholic church for example. But after reading the Author's Note at the end, everything made sense and I get why it had to be like this (Uff, that author's note is SO important). What bothered me more were the characters, mainly the friends group mentioned earlier. Don't get me wrong, I loved them to pieces. But they felt a little underdeveloped, one dimensional, distant. I wanted to know more about them but there was no time or space for it in the story. Which I get, because there was a bigger focus on the characters from the past (and these were really interesting, unique and fleshed oud) and the overall message. But at the end some of the friend's decisions and interactions felt a little forced and unrealistic and I was disappointed because otherwise this would have been a perfect book for me.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide