Reviews tagging 'Injury/Injury detail'

If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha

22 reviews

catandherbooks's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

Took me a while to finish this book, life (and other books if I'm being honest) got in the way but at last I did and it was good. Reminded me of Kim Nam Joo, Born 1982, in a way. The ending felt abrupt, especially after spending so much time with this book on my "currently reading" tab but I think I liked it. Maybe. I'm still working on finding out exactly how I feel about this one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and Medical content

Moderate: Pregnancy

Minor: Sexual harassment

gaiadances's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

this book had me gripped from the very beginning. i was engrossed in the lives of these women, their circumstances, families and issues shaping their everyday. i felt wonna was the weakest and least developed of all the women and if her POV was dropped i think the book would have been stronger overall. the book was extremely insightful exposing me to new perspectives about the korean beauty industry, plastic surgery, misogyny and sexism, abuse of women in society and classism. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Classism, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, and Body shaming

nasima's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism and Pregnancy

Moderate: Medical content, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny

vl_411's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

The story follows a set of flawed and distinct characters in interwoven tape that really highlights how South Korean women struggles and how they're valued in society. It's very much plot driven and I really enjoyed reading about each character - my favourite being Kyuri because you can see how the others perceive her due to her job and lifestyle then you see things from her perspective and how much family means to her. 

The ending is somewhat open ended, leaving it on a somewhat lighter note with the characters moving on from their previous situation but still in a similar cycle as before. The only one I was a bit unsatisfied with was Wonna's story.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Miscarriage

potatokao's review

dark emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

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

3.5

an intimate look into each of the women’s lives ranging in their 20s, living in seoul. the way it was written with perspective changes shows their raw and honest thoughts about their individual struggles and responses to their environment. things you wouldnt want to say out loud. it makes the characters more whole, neither good nor bad, a product of their upbringing. heavy themes of friendship, family, in laws, women in society.

at first i felt like the pace and setting the author set made it so that the girls were only suffering and not able to enjoy anything in life and it made me sad to get into the book. maybe halfway when the plot seems to progress a little more, the characters become more active and living. 

the connections between all the girls is what makes the book. i love how intertwined they are. they judge each other, they love each other, they get annoyed, they care, they go through life together. not the best of friends, but clearly helped by each other’s company. not family, but all they have for some of them. people who are important to them and people they can be honest with. 

i only wish i didnt have to wait half way into the book to see that and there are some parts of their past that are never fully explained. but i understand it’s hard to develop individual characters AND their relationship with one another. once all the characters and their backgrounds are in place, it is well worth it to get to know them. 

the ending of the book is what makes it for me. this gradual warmth and hope, like spring air has blown in. it could have ended in any way but this warm ending is what makes me feel that their connection is so full of love and care. life isnt going to suddenly be better but i hope they stay together and work through life together. sending hugs to the girls. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Bullying

Moderate: Alcohol, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Sexual content, Miscarriage, and Sexism

Minor: Suicide and Rape

vixenreader's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

It has a great commentary on beauty standards and gender politics for women in South Korea. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Body shaming, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cultural appropriation, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Sexism, and Sexual content

Moderate: Blood, Child death, Grief, Police brutality, Child abuse, Cursing, Death of parent, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Abandonment, Abortion, Bullying, Death, and Drug use

If surgery makes you queasy, be prepared for some stomach-turning scenes, and whorephobia is something to watch out for as well.

helliepad's review

emotional inspiring 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

3.75

The story is so short but it's like buying an assortment of donuts in one donut box. You get to enjoy all of them even if you wanted more. I am also very fond of the theme that it's women looking out for other women in this world. We have each other's faces, etc.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Abandonment, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, and Pregnancy

Minor: Classism, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, and Grief

bluejayreads's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

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

4.75

Literary and contemporary are two genres I don't often enjoy, but I very much enjoyed this book. Not so much that it was entertaining, but more like it was a door showing me modern South Korea and the concerns of women there. Each of the four protagonists had her own worries, her own dreams, her own history, and her own way of coping with the challenges of South Korean life, from the brutal economy to the female beauty obsession to the tension between personal desires and traditional values. It's dark and it's sad and it doesn't wrap up neatly - real life never does, either - but it's engrossing and emotional and ultimately finds hope in the power of female friendships. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Sexism, and Misogyny

Moderate: Miscarriage, Infidelity, Medical content, and Ableism

Minor: Violence, Suicide, Child abuse, Sexual content, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Sex work, medical content (voluntary surgery and recovery from it)

laceyc1's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective tense 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Classism, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Suicide, Alcohol, Sexism, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content

Minor: Eating disorder

outersgrace's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-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? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Body shaming, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Classism, Fatphobia, Medical content, Pregnancy, Sexism, Alcoholism, Bullying, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Miscarriage, and Misogyny

Minor: Sexual content, Abortion, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Medical trauma, and Death