Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Gorgeous Gruesome Faces by Linda Cheng

23 reviews

kurumipanda's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Suicide, and Torture

Moderate: Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexism, Violence, Grief, Fatphobia, Death, Body horror, Blood, Sexual harassment, and Confinement

Minor: Body shaming, Eating disorder, and Stalking

aliciagrasby's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Suicide, and Injury/Injury detail

betweentheshelves's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-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? Yes

3.5

I thought this was just a thriller, but it turns out it takes a turn more into the horror genre. Which isn't a bad thing! But by the end of the book, things get...interesting. I'll read horror, but most of the time I'm not a huge fan of it. And this one gets a bit graphic in parts as the horror amps up by the end of the book.

However, I did appreciate the critiques on the K-Pop/entertainment industry and the expectations that are thrown on teen girls in particular. Sunny struggles with the expectations, especially coming from her mom. It's definitely something that negatively affects her mental health as well. Using the horror genre to explore those sorts of topics definitely works in this case.

If you like darker horror/thriller books, this might definitely be for you! It does wrap up at the end, but there's space left for a sequel (which I guess is happening eventually). We'll see if I read the next one!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Body horror, and Death

Moderate: Torture, Grief, and Suicide

Minor: Cursing, Body shaming, and Bullying

sezillee's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Suicide

amy_salieri's review

dark mysterious tense slow-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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Mental illness, Death, Grief, Blood, Torture, Suicide, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body shaming and Bullying

emeryyy's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.25

Before, Sunny Lee was a member of the popular teen group Sweet Cadence, along with her best friends Candie and Mina. But that quickly fell apart after a scandal and the death of Mina. Several years later, Sunny can't stop thinking about the cause of Mina's death. When she discovers Candie is taking part in a K-pop workshop in her own hometown, Sunny seizes the opportunity to finally get some answers. What she finds instead is a blur between reality and nightmares, terror-inducing visions, her competitors being injured in bizarre incidents, and a growing mystery she needs to solve if she wants to stay alive.

this is a sapphic thriller inspired by the k-pop industry, but k-pop actually doesn't play as big of a role as i expected. it's very unlike any other k-pop-inspired story that i've read (in a good way!). the story was immediately chilling and mysterious, and i didn't expect to be drawn in so quickly! it alternates between the past and present, which i enjoyed. there is some romance (and a lot of tension) but it isn't the focus

thank you to BookishFirst and Roaring Brook Press for the copy of this book!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Body horror, and Violence

Moderate: Suicide

booksmoviesandstories's review

adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Bullying, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, Body shaming, Gaslighting, and Gore

devynreadsnovels's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Bullying, Infidelity, Child death, Body horror, Violence, Gore, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Death, Grief, and Blood

Moderate: Dysphoria, Torture, and Abandonment

likeagilmoregirl's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Gorgeous Gruesome Faces is exactly what you want a YA thriller to be; it’s entertaining, dramatic, fun, and original. It’s not every day you pick up a sapphic K-Pop competition novel filled with scandal and horror.

The story centers around Sunny, a fallen-from-grace star, as she navigates the gruesome incidents happening to the girls she’s competing with in a K-Pop competition. A completion she joined to reunite with her estranged best friend (and former co-star) Candie who disappeared from her life after the tragic loss of their other friend and co-star, Mina. 

Told in alternating chapters of Then and Now, the competition continues as the number of victims grows and the past events leading up to Sunny and Candie’s estrangement are unraveled.

Filled with drama, scandal, and gore, Gorgeous Gruesome Faces is a fantastic example of YA Thrillers. I loved the concept and the writing.

This book ended up being 4 stars for me because I felt that while the novel as a whole was structured well, the pace of the novel fluctuated inconsistently. Some parts felt more rushed than I found myself hoping them to be. And there were moments I felt that I had missed something or wished that more time had been spent detailing some events or character relationships. 

I was given the chance to read this book in audiobook format and the narrator was fantastic! 

Overall, Gorgeous Gruesome Faces is a wonderful, fun read that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys YA thrillers. Especially with a little scandal involved. 

*Huge thanks to Linda Cheng, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for providing the ARC of Gorgeous Gruesome Faces in audiobook format*

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Gore

Moderate: Body horror, Toxic friendship, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

caseythereader's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Thanks to Macmillan for the free copy of this book.

 - GORGEOUS GRUESOME FACES is a YA thriller that combines K-pop glitter with Chinese mythology.
- I love a book that explores some of the traumas of fame, especially for young people, and that is woven into the larger supernatural mystery of this book.
- I didn't realize this book was the first in a series until I got to the end, and I'm excited to see where Cheng takes this next. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Gore, Murder, Bullying, Death, Stalking, and Suicide