Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

If He Had Been with Me by Laura Nowlin

60 reviews

blue_feather15's review against another edition

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

3.0

I went into this book with pretty high expectations, and I was slightly disappointed. I still enjoyed it, and it was a good book, it just wasn’t an AMAZING book.

I would have liked the author to have gone into more detail, as I felt like I didn’t get to know the characters enough. There were also parts that were skipped over that really should have gone into more detail (eg:
Finn’s death/accident
)

Speaking of Finn’s death, I felt that chapter 1 kind of ruined the ending a little bit. I was happy they finally got together, but I knew he was going to die soon, so I didn’t get too attached, and therefore it wasn’t as gut wrenching as it should have been.

The suicide attempt really shocked me, but it does make sense since she had made a big deal about it with Jamie.

I want to get to know these characters on a deeper level, but I don’t feel like I got the opportunity to do that.
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laurenlolson's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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grace33's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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brooke_w's review against another edition

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

3.5

Ending fell short. 
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ashley_books_cats_judo's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

I can understand the hype behind this one. I really enjoyed it as a standalone. Im not sure if I want to read the 2nd book because this one really felt like it wrapped up where it needed to.
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izzy_h's review against another edition

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4.0

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meghan1997's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Raw, nostalgic, heartfelt, and heartbreaking. I was completely enamoured and in love with this story and its characters.

I went into this with no prior knowledge of the book or its contents, and was instantly captured by the author's writing style. 

Reading this book for the first time (which came out when I was in high school) as an adult, had me deeply reflecting and looking back on my own coming of age years.
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mick_rt's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

5.0

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hgonzalez113's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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likeasloth's review against another edition

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

2.5

Honestly I’ve expected more. I wanted a very reflective love story which dives deep into the different types of loves. While at some times it scratches the surface it never goes beyond. 
Additionally some aspects are kinda problematic; purity as a concept to be maintained, abortion as not even a possibility and pregnancy as the saving moment. I feel like a lot of the themes could have been handled more sensible. Over all it was a nice read but didn’t really stay with me and I often had to try not to read too much into it. 
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