Reviews tagging 'Death'

In at the Deep End by Kate Davies

5 reviews

catherinerowland's review against another edition

challenging dark funny sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexual content, and Self harm

Moderate: Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug use, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Racism, Alcohol, and Death

canonically_k's review against another edition

challenging dark tense 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

1.5

I got fleabagged (the last chapter is called it'll pass). There was not enough unproblematic life living and TOO MUCH TOXIC RELATIONSHIP WHO WOULD ENJOY READING THIS. This book made me so furious and upset and it was not at all advertised to be about this. I feel like the book itself wasn't recognising how horrible the relationship was, and I know it's from the victims perspective but it left me really confused. So much of it just horrified me and I hated every time they got back together. The humor was also very unfiltered and made me a bit uncomfortable at points. It framed non-monogamy really weirdly as well and didn't have any retrospective nuance about it. Also the protagonist comes out as a lesbian and doesn't make friends with a single queer person other than lesbians as far as I can tell.I need to learn not to hate read books and to just put them down. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Violence and Self harm

Minor: Sexism, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Death, and Lesbophobia

em_daydreaming's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Self harm, Sexual violence, Infidelity, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Drug use, and Alcohol

Minor: Death

ellanarose's review against another edition

emotional sad fast-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Bullying, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Stalking, and Suicidal thoughts

mcpl's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

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

2.0

This was a tough read. I picked this book up because it was pitched as a fun Fleabag-y lesbian read, and I was super into this concept (and I still am! Please someone write something like Fleabag but queerer!!). It starts out in a fun and cutesy way when Julia joins a LGBTQ+ swing dance club and explores the queer scene in London. This however is completely wiped out by the second part of the novel, when Julia meets Sam and embarks in a polyamory relationship, that turns out to be very much unhealthy and abusive! Don’t get me wrong, it is crucial to talk about abuse in queer partnerships, since it is more frequent than we think and nobody really talks about it — still, the book was marketed much differently from what you actually get as a reader. 
So if you’re in for pretty heavy content, go ahead! (be mindful of CW/TW: heavy gaslighting, sexual assault, rape, self harm, mention of suicide, death)

One more thing, I didn’t like how the author talked about polyamory relationships (I am not polyamory myself, so take this with a grain of salt): Julia is clearly monogamous, and isn’t okay with having multiple partners, so of course she is suffering by being with Sam. Sam (and her partners), on the other hand, ends up being our only example of polyamory in this novel. Considering how problematic Sam’s character is, I think it could further stereotypes on polyamory being weird, sensationalised and even non-consensual. I was hoping the author would have balanced it out by including secondary characters in non-monogamous relationships living “normal” and happy lives; or that she would have addressed more directly the toxicity of Sam and Julia’s. It frankly felt judgemental of alternative lifestyles from the author’s part. Ugh. Too bad. I really wanted to like this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, and Drug use

Moderate: Death and Self harm

Minor: Biphobia