Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The List by Yomi Adegoke

13 reviews

lilinn_aion's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Violence, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Bullying, Racial slurs, Suicide, Rape, Racism, Misogyny, and Homophobia

ashcanpete's review

emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Cursing, Gaslighting, Sexism, Car accident, Mental illness, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Violence, Sexual harassment, and Suicide attempt

dani_reads123's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Rape, Sexual violence, and Suicide

klb77's review

dark tense slow-paced

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

0.5

Genuinely fuck this. You can write about evil and morally bad characters without making them all severely insufferable. I wasn’t rooting for anyone or any thing other than the percentage bar to continue creeping further towards 100%. The cultural pieces were touched on and then fully abandoned instead of properly delved into and considered- do the characters even care about their own ethnicities? Or are they just using them for instagram followers… Does the author even care about their ethnicities? She certainly didn’t honor them or hold any sort of cultural context within the story she chose to write. 

Do you want to know what happens in this book? Read the synopsis and then the final 10% for the lack of resolution or accountability from every single person involved in this shit show. Nothing else happens other than one self-righteous fight and one bit of drama at an event. the ONLY bit of additional drama that occurs at the single defined event of the entire book. 

If you want fanfiction of AD and Clay from Love Is Blind: here it is. The “I can fix him” and the “She’ll stand by me no matter what harm I do to her” thinking they can successfully have a marriage between them. 

This book was entirely one-note and the ending wasn’t the end of anything or an ending marked by change or growth or accountability or even fucking acknowledgment of inciting events. The plot holes were jarring and entirely unforgivable and every side character was interchangeable with eachother. Petty points off for the chapter titles being huge spoilers as well. 

The only compliment I can give is that it was an accurate representation of a shithead man but I already knew PLENTY about that from dropping my own last year. Beat for beat they had similar thoughts and excuses. The audiobook narrator did well wresting and differentiating all of the different one note characters and their accents. The content was truly enraging but her job was very well done.  

In the Q&A between the voice actor/narrator and the author I found the jokes about cancelling *them* over tiny things to be wildly tone deaf. Do you truly think a self deprecating joke about your own work is equivalent to date rape/kidnapping/assault/ coercion/etc etc etc etc listed in your own fucking book? Now who’s trivializing things? The lack of proper content warnings is abhorrent considering the thing I’ve chosen to spoiler over below. 

Maybe it’s cold but the only thing I was rooting for was

for michael’s suicide attempt to have been successful. It really would’ve saved everyone the hassle of knowing him and dealing with his bullshit. He couldn’t even off himself correctly and then couldn’t even take accountability for the fact that he even attempted it??? Mans can dodge every single thing in his life including cars I guess. I wanted to hit him again hearing that. 

Also why the fuck did he wake up with a feeding tube. That makes no sense. the science in this book sucked shit too but now I truly am being petty.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Sexual content, Stalking, Gaslighting, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Cursing, Addiction, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Classism, Medical content, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Suicide, Outing, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Biphobia

Minor: Vomit and Kidnapping

daysia's review

reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Violence

d0505's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Homophobia

Minor: Alcoholism and Violence

emilyandthewhippet's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Domestic abuse, Racism, Grief, Hate crime, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Infidelity, Misogyny, Outing, Pedophilia, Suicide, Cursing, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Bullying, Death, Medical content, Mental illness, Rape, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and Violence

poppy_dandybee's review against another edition

challenging emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Very difficult topic to write about, I think it was done well. The wrap up at the end definitely gives debut novel vibes. Overall, a good listen (audiobook). I think it is an important book even if the writing itself is average.

I think it could have ended on a cliffhanger after Michael stepped into traffic. I had little sympathy tor the characters, especially Michael for lying and cheating, even if in the end the allegations were false I don't think he was a good person. I don't think Ola should have married him -- but I also feel that ruining Michael's life was unwarranted and selfish of Jackie's  baby daddy.

It's a heavy book, an important topic, decently done with okay writing. I think it could have been done better.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Infidelity

Minor: Violence

janaaier's review

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

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

3.5

The List has a topical premise that could alienate readers during its process but holds complexity in its realism. It could be read as a capsule of different abuse apologist perspectives. The way the main characters' self-justifying script is portrayed through a critical lense but the journey is a bumpy ride. I think the majority of the book is directed towards those who entertain simplistic perspectives on interpersonal violence. It was a little exhausting to read about a build-a-boyfriend corporate feminist dithering ad nauseum about her hypocritical personal politics. It was also tiring to read the perspective of the aforementioned unbuilt boyfriend, the petty misogynist podcaster. 

The main characters are both deeply self-interested and morally grey from the beginning. The book is obsessed with what the List means for the main couple's material circumstances: reputation and money. The input they receive from side characters is also focused for the majority of the book on the social and professional consequences of the accusations. Many of the characters come across as unprincipled and disappointing. The brief guilty conscience scenes asides, the cast do not think of reaching out to potential victims, healing community harm, or ensuring the safety of friends and family - mostly distasteful masticating over damage control. That being said, the book is very aware of the characters' flaws and illuminates them.

It felt like reading a social horror.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Bullying, Car accident, Rape, Violence, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, and Alcohol

ukponge's review

challenging reflective sad 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Misogyny, Violence, Rape, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Physical abuse