Welcome to Litsy!

As long as the sun rises and you wake up breathing, there is hope and purpose. This book was dark. The manipulation and justification of the groomer was infuriating. Im glad I finished the book and like life and also the ending of the book, you aren‘t sure which direction Vanessa might be going but suffice to say, she can only go up.

It‘s gonna take me a while to articulate how I felt reading this book. Maybe I‘ll never be able to. All I can say is thank you to the author, for putting words to the unspeakable and facing vitriol in the face of her bravery.

I started this and put it down. It‘s a heavy subject matter of power/sexual/emotional abuse. I had to pick it back up though. I need to know what Vanessa does. I need the teacher to be prosecuted. I need Vanessa and the others he hurt (because there are always others) to heal as best they can.

Complex exploration of the abuse of power by a teacher & statutory rape that‘s too intense for me. Prose so vivid that it‘s disquieting. “Trigger warning,” is an overused phrase (feeling sad or angry is not getting triggered y‘all) but the tone & spot-on dialogue between the teacher & the teen are so realistic that survivors might want to skip this one. Narration is too good. A plot twist is coming, but I‘m bowing out. #statutoryrape #sexualabuse

@sprainedbrain have you read this one? I‘m listening to it, very uncomfortably, now.

I‘ve been reading A LOT. Lucy is my constant companion, and a very good girl. Finished tagged this morning and I had some feelings! Vanessa had a tears long relationship with her teacher that began when she was 15, now accusations about his behaviour are coming out. I really enjoyed this book and perhaps enjoyed is not the right word but it was a very good book. For me, I thought a lot about how we view victims in the aftermath of these things ⬇️

This was an interesting read. Moments very difficult to listen to. But that I think is the point, difficult conversation and event for someone to go through. To see abuse from the side of the abused with a different mindset. So hard to hear and very sad. The longtime effects of abuse

Thank you @LapReader for this #nywd2022 rec! @monalyisha

Hard to review. This book is clearly incredible, important and beautifully written, but I also can‘t say I ‘enjoyed‘ reading it. I like dark books but… wow. Having said that, the ending which I won‘t spoil was simple and cathartic enough that I‘d say it made it worth it. Now time to go read something very light and frothy with absolutely no important themes.

Finally made my January #bookspinbingo board. Been a bit of a hard reading month this month and I‘m excited to start the new year off the way I mean to go on! @TheAromaofBooks

New book, new puzzle, & warm mulled wine 😍

Incredibly disturbing, but realistic & believable. Reads like a memoir despite being fiction. Insightful & well-written. Highlights sexualization of females & the power of gaslighting in abusive relationships. The fact that this grooming & manipulation undoubtedly occurs for girls this age intensified the cringe factor & impact. Not for the lighthearted, but recommended. Tread lightly & be prepared, both to be disgusted & enlightened.

This book took me a long time to read. It made me uncomfortable and nauseas, but that just proves the effectiveness of the storytelling and writing. Such a powerful novel.

I was really enthralled by this book. Don't get me wrong, I was horrified by some of the scenes, but I thought it captured perfectly how damaging sexual abuse is, and the contortions Vanessa went through, to help her cope/ rationalise what had happened to her. I really couldn't put it down, and spent most of the day yesterday reading so I could finish it. It's hard to like Vanessa as a character, but I felt an enormous amount of sympathy for her.

Tackle the TBR 🤓📚 #boleybooks #mydarkvanessa #kateelizabethrussell #bookbeast #bookjoy #readwithme
What are you reading? 😊

When will you let this go?
I remember being questioned similarly and more than a decade later that still haunts me.
Why do we ask anyone that question? If anyone could choose to let something go that they didn't want to carry anymore, as if a bag of groceries, they would. Obviously it's not that simple.
This audio has an 1hr interview with the author but I'm not sure I want to listen. It could make the book better or worse. Should I listen?

This story moves in and out of years, in the beginning it's a very obvious shift but as the story moves it becomes less so (maybe an audio more than visual issue).The author does a good job in showing how survivors can easily slip back into memories. They can overtake. A lot of this book makes me want to jump back to the present moment, where something can happen/change. It feels like you're slowly drowning in the past. And that's perfect really.

Exactly half way. This book is like watching a fatal pile up of cars that is horrifying but you can't turn away from.
Previously I would've loathed 32yo, inert Vanessa but after much of my own work and hearing the stories of so many others, I feel a bit of kinship, mostly sadness, and like I'd like to lend her a strength to move beyond her self blame/hatred, to move her to DO something to help herself, and yes, others.

Just started this morning and already I feel this huge sadness and empathy for a woman-child who is essentially torn in two. You can see one side of her trying to cling to rationalizing while another part fights that. And while she presents her teacher in a rationalizing, sympathetic way, if you "read between the lines" you see how he saw her, how he targeted her, groomed her.

When your bed clothes match the book you just scored from your building‘s book exchange it might be a sign to go to bed early and read it for this round of #LMPBC What do you think @LeeRHarry & @CarolynM ?

Unfortunately, this one didn‘t stand up to #reread. It was my favorite fiction of March 2020, but this time the length and repetition were extremely tedious, and now I‘ve read other books I enjoyed much more. (Tagged below) Bummer.

Also, I really hated the narrator of the #audiobook this time.

I really expected to hate this, not least because it‘s about the abuse of a teenage girl by her teacher, but it was so well written, so impeccably plotted, so painfully believable, that I was just really impressed by it in the end. That being said, my skin was CRAWLING the entire time.

Reading Envy Podcast Episode 222: Minty Fresh with Courtney @Conservio

Courtney drops by to discuss reading goals updates, to school Jenny on using Reddit for reading, and we may go on a few mutiny and gardening tangents. There is a content warning at the top of this episode so please listen closely!

Listen and subscribe:
https://tinyurl.com/ReadingEnvy222

What an uncomfortable read. I needed a whiskey while finishing it. I‘ve never encountered a novel that so perfectly captures the complex relationship and feelings between an abuser and the target of the abuse. Wow. I do agree with the criticism that it could have been shorter and wandered a bit. But I couldn‘t put it down.

Fifteen-year-old Vanessa has a crush on her English teacher, the intense Mr. Strane, and he‘s got his sights set on her too...

Read May 8-12
Rated 4.5/5 ⭐️
Book 26/60

Favourite book of the year so far. The abuse of power is clear to the reader but I loved the way the author portrayed the mixed feelings of Vanessa. It‘s a sad story but a compulsive read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book... what an uncomfortable read! The absolute control and power an abuser can have over one they abused for so many years. What did you all think?

The fictional story of Vanessa, groomed by her teacher at 15, and the years-long relationship that follows, this is incredibly disturbing but also gripping. The nuances and complexities of Vanessa‘s story are fascinating. I listened to an interview where the author described how she wanted the reader to experience confusion as to whether Vanessa was ever empowered or in control, which is something you grapple with throughout.

This is a confronting read. I know this is a work of fiction but I found it interesting to take note of the language that predators use to manipulate and coerce their victims. The emotional abuse in this book is truly awful. It‘s well written and well worth reading. I‘d be really interested to hear other people‘s views on this book

Up next, My Dark Vanessa. I'm a bit weary about this one with the love it or hate it reviews. I can not resist giving it a shot though. If you read it, did you love it or hate it?

Dark, uncomfortable read.
Makes you so uncomfortable you are torn between continuing and tearing the book apart. Luckily, I read it on an Ipad knowing all the while I can't afford to break it apart.
But the writing is so real, it keeps you going.

I hope you move on, dear dark Vanessa!

8/10

This was ROUGH! Trigger warnings for sexual assualt/abuse, particularly teens abused by someone older.

This book does a great job at looking how power dynamics play into sexual abuse, but man is it ever a tough go. A necessary topic, but it was uncomfortable to the point that I almost quit reading at least 5 times - and I don't shy away from tough subjects. In the end I am glad I continued though. This made me squirm but also think.

💛💛💛💛💛 Very dark and disturbing, but equally unputdownable. The book confronts the uncomfortable subject of a teenager and teacher having a relationship, whereby the manipulation of vanessa both as a child and into her adult years can be quite difficult to read.

Knowing the subject matter of this book I‘ve put off reading it for months as I thought it would be extremely hard going. It was, however I was totally engrossed and couldn‘t put it down. There are so many layers to this book it would be hard to sum up in a short review. I feel emotionally drained after reading it but glad I did, it‘s a must read and I would highly recommend
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sat on the fence about this one for ages.
But I brought for 99p in case I get off the fence on the read side.

I absolutely loved this one. Gillian Flynn said it perfectly: “Brilliant and stunning.” More layers than I ever would‘ve thought possible. Perfect. I recommend it highly.

Fascinating. So deeply layered.

Holy crap. What a story! Uncomfortable, rage-inducing and hopeful!

First book of the new year. A really good read.

Happy New Year 🥳

My top 5 books this year!! Number 1 belongs to the train wreck of a book that I couldn‘t put down, #mydarkvanessa. It was one of those I hated that I loved it so much!! Best writing of the year hands down!!

Interesting take Vanessa has on Lolita. That Dolores is a regular girl with a little devil inside and Humbert is just the man that loves that girl. Well, a nice way to explain Vanessa‘s thinking. #holidayreading

Just started this today.

Put together this charcuterie board while I listened to My Dark Vanessa and the snow fell outside. I enjoyed myself immensely 😸