Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Bully by Penelope Douglas

29 reviews

kerrythefire's review against another edition

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3.25

So toxic. So much body betrayal. Jared's rationale was stupid and flawed af. He did not serve enough penance to gain Tate's forgiveness. The conflict at the very end (
Tate thinking Jared recorded and sent the video
) shows that they are going to have massive trust issues in their relationship for a while. I also still don't entirely understand what K.C.'s thought process was with Jared... but in general, it's been a while since I was 17 or thinking like a 17 year old šŸ˜†

Also a lot of sexual assault and sexual harassment. (Which honeslty, probably is a realistic representation of high school, sadly.) And I don't love that were supposed to overlook that on Madoc's part, not just in this book but the next which is his book. Nate and Piper were super gross. Jared was not the only bully in this book. 

In general there were some major logic holes and character gaps in this story, but... I still didn't hate it. Good steam. Good fiesty dialogue (even if it didn't always makes sense/was unhealthy). Kept me decently entertained and anxious. 

Also, all the 2000s/2010s emo/metal bands and songs name drops were... a choice. I mean, I listened to all of it so not hating on the music... just that all the name drops were sorta shoe-horned in there.
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boopanda's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny 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

4.0

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kateb15's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

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beebowbabe's review against another edition

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

0.5

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amanda_reads13's review against another edition

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

3.5

Jared and Tate were joined by the hip as kids, but all that changed after the summer they turned 14. 

I am torn. I literally tore through this book. BUT I really wish this hadn't been set in high school, for obvious reasons. Though the age of them could explain some of the dumb and ridiculous decisions they made. 

You can't help but feel for Jared. He
suffered horrific abused from his father.
That said, it doesn't justify what he did to Tate. Yes, he was a kid and yes his reaction to be jealous of her "perfect" family was understandable, but you would think he would see the error of his ways as he grew up. Some simple communication would have mended their relationship years ago. Instead he allowed his jealousy to justify bullying her for years. 

I do really like Jared. HE NEEDS THERAPY and has some growing up to do, but I think he truly loves Tate. He has not always shown it, but she has always been the constant in his life. 

Tate has returned from a year in France and has finally grew a backbone. She has decided not ignore Jared's antics, but turns to retaliation instead. Her actions really demonstrated how young and immature she is. She makes so many dumb and unsafe choices that could jeopardize her future. 

Why are all these parents so absent?! How are there zero consequences for these kids actions? How does a student release a sex tape of classmates and just get away with it? Wtf?! How does an entire school population basically gaslight Tate into thinking she is crazy for being angry with Jared?! 

Can we talk about KC for a minute? She is a terrible friend! Who dates a guy who has been torturing your best friend. Nope. Drop her like a rock. She is the worst. Not only does she hook up with Jared but she then gaslights Tate. Nope. Bye. 

Tropes: childhood best friends, enemies to lovers, bully
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samantha914's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-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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notamouse's review against another edition

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challenging hopeful reflective slow-paced

3.5

šŸŒ¶ļø.5
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keyro's review against another edition

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

2.0

I know this is an enemies to lovers and I gave it a chance, I just canā€™t see how anyone would date someone who tortured their lives for years on end for the sake of ā€œjealousy/loveā€. 

Ppl, more specifically teenagers off themselves BC OF bullying.

putting that aside, I didnā€™t enjoy KC dating the guy that was bullying her best friend?? no one in the book has any moralsā€¦

also giving up her body to someone that was abusing her mentallyā€¦mmkay

this story feels like it was written by a lovesick teenager on WP, which I guess could be the point???
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sandse2's review against another edition

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emotional 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

4.5

Taboo subjects, but actually well written and character development is strong. 
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caroras's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Soo letā€™s be real here. If this was real life, no way Tate wouldā€™ve forgiven Jared, and if she did, Iā€™d consider it Stockholm Syndrome.

But I will admit it, I gobbled up this book like it was my last meal.
Iā€™m a sucker for love-hate tropes. 
I love Penelopeā€™s writing style, and that may be partly why I devoured this book.
Some of the passages in the book were so amazingly written and clever.

Character development in this book is top notch. I loved the way Tate went from someone who could never stand her ground, someone who would run away, and to someone who stood up for herself and fought back. As cringe as it sounds, it was kind of inspiring lol.

I found that the characters were surprisingly lovable, despite all their flaws.
My personal favorite character must be Madoc. 
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