Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour

56 reviews

aidrielle's review

dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

i can always count on nina lacour for sad gay girlies representation!!!! love how it talked about how affirming it is to have a found family, but also how dangerous it is to have to rely on other people for certain things. in the end, our personal growth is mostly really up to ourselves. the writing was so beautiful, and the narrator read it all so beautifully.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Blood, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Panic attacks/disorders

michaela999's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Grief, and Emotional abuse

shoohoob's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious fast-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

2.0

This is a book that I read. I can tell you that much. I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I had read it as a teen though!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Child abuse

imstephtacular's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Death, Classism, Blood, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Panic attacks/disorders, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Gaslighting

Minor: Physical abuse, Violence, Alcohol, Cursing, and Sexual assault

renn_the_reader's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Grief

Moderate: Death

bookishsapphicshay's review

emotional reflective sad

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Death and Abandonment

onemorepagecrew's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

Nina LaCour became an auto-read author for me last month, when I binged four of her books. In her YA contemporary novel, Watch Over Me, we meet Mila who is about to age out of the foster care system. She’s offered a live-in teaching job on a remote farm in California and moves there after high school graduation. 

 

Once Mila arrives in CA, the magical realism elements begin, and ghosts are a regular part of life on the farm. They’re not spooky or scary, it’s more of an ethereal vibe with their purpose being slowly revealed. The mood is not jumpy, it’s reflective and curious. By the end of the book was wistful and beautiful. 

 

If you enjoy emotional coming-of-age books or books that focus on healing your inner child, then I’d recommend this novel. It shines a light on personal growth and confronting events of your childhood, while telling the story of a young adult trying to find her purpose in the world. It’s sad at times, and beautifully done. I really loved this unique read. 

 

Content warnings: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Grief, Death, Abandonment 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Death, Grief, and Abandonment

carolyn_baird_'s review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Gaslighting, and Panic attacks/disorders

chilivanilli28's review

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Emotional abuse

mapscitiesandsongs's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Wow, what a special read! But damn, the last chapter was so emotional. To be honest, I wasn't really too fond of it during the first half. I kept thinking that something shady was going on on that farm and it kind of distracted me a bit from the actual topic of the book. I also think that I had the wrong expectations going into the book. I was waiting for a bigger punch, but it never really came. Instead the book was a gentle  exploration about trauma, grief and loneliness, which I wasn't expecting. Truly beautiful nonetheless! The reveal was masterfully done and tore at my heart strings. The way Nina LaCour writes about loneliness, trauma and grief is spectacular. A truly special book! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Death, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Vomit and Blood