Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Words by A. Jade

13 reviews

fink1129's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Alcohol, Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Violence, Death, Sexual content, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Death of parent, Dementia, Car accident, Eating disorder, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Vomit, and Grief

lzddds06's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.75

I loved this book, loved Lennon, couldn’t help but love Phoenix - even when he made mistakes. I would have given this a five star but I was sad that we didn’t see the outcome of Lennon’s plan at the end or Phoenix reaction to what she was prepared to do for him. Highly recommend anyway! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Sexual content

Moderate: Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, and Drug abuse

Minor: Abandonment, Pregnancy, Dementia, and Addiction

faith99's review against another edition

funny sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Dementia

Minor: Abandonment, Alcohol, Drug use, and Child abuse

alilbitofeveryth1ng's review against another edition

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Car accident, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Dementia, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, and Child abuse

Minor: Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Police brutality

kaileeledger's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring sad 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

4.0

Really enjoyed this story. The only reason I gave it 4/5 stars is because at points in the story it kind of dragged. It was a lot of back and forth “do I wanna be with him or do I not?” Without having a fair amount of plot to distract. Wasn’t a bad story, it was just a bit repetitive at times. Overall, I would recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Death of parent, Abandonment, Dementia, Child abuse, Cursing, Grief, Death, and Sexual content

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Bullying, and Car accident

Minor: Child death and Toxic relationship

mjdedevis24's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Grief, Rape, Body shaming, Bullying, Car accident, Dementia, Drug use, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, and Emotional abuse

lina_m's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

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

1.5

Dude's committing arson and fucks the girl (who he has stolen his most famous song from) in front of the fire??? And in another scene, she wakes up handcuffed to the bed with a random woman between her legs while he touches himself and then makes this random woman kneel in front of him to cum on her face???

I think I need to desperately rethink all of my life choices because I didn't dnf the book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Alcohol, Fatphobia, Grief, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Dementia, Eating disorder, Car accident, and Child abuse

Minor: Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, and Injury/Injury detail

amberlinanderson's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful medium-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

The first reveal of Lennon’s “coping mechanism” was such a heart breaking experience. The letters in the end made my heart swell. There were a few plot holes and a few times that Lennon really annoyed me, but overall, a good, emotional read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Fatphobia, Drug use, Death of parent, Dementia, Sexual content, Alcohol, Blood, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Abandonment, Addiction, Bullying, Car accident, Child abuse, and Grief

aj_igoe's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-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

3.0

To say this was a wild ride is an understatement. 

First, I was very upset because there are no trigger warnings. And they’re definitely needed to be some. While there’s not much that triggers me, there is a form of SA, and as a survivor, sometimes I do get emotionally triggered. When the protagonist, Lennon, thinks she’s having a wet dream and wakes up to a girl going down on her. A girl that she doesn’t know. Being told to do so by the male lead, Phoenix, and so on. It was the most questionable scene and out of place seen in the book and they just gloss over it— no discussion on it and forget it ever happens except like one mention. 

Second, there’s there’s literally on page child abuse - the prologue and later one. This alone warrants a TW. Plus the toxicity of the relationship and death of a parent, dementia, all these things needed to addressed in the beginning. 

Lennon I loved her. Second, I read some other reviews bothered by her losing weight. I’ll you what, my skinny was a size 10 and I wasn’t skinny at all. I just wasn’t obese and I appreciated her being at that size because I felt like I could relate to her 100% at that size. She was still plus size. At that size I was told I was plus size at ducking forever 21 at 19. I wasn’t even large, I was more like average but I always had breasts and huge hips. 

I want to address some of Phoenix behavior.  There were some reviews addressing how poorly he acts. But to this, as someone who studied child development (pregnancy thru 25) and how trauma affects the brain — working alongside kids as a former preschool teacher, a few with traumatic childhoods, his actions are normal behavior for someone who never received therapy or help. While I agree some of his behaviors are abhorrent they are not out of the norm for a broken individual.


Those things aside I really really enjoyed the book. I read dark fantasy’s and dark romance. So other than needing TW — which if the book had them, I might have rated it higher — it could never be 5 stars with the SA on page unless it had been discussed in book and actually like spoken about as SA. 

But I loved all the characters, and I was extremely invested in them. I really did care for all of them, I’m a Stormy stan for sure. I wish I could give this more stars but my conscience will not allow. I finished it hours ago and can’t stop thinking about it and even considering purchasing the audio and listening to
It. I really did love the characters and story itself. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Drug use, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Dementia, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Bullying

Minor: Child death

Minor spoilers in review but nothing of plot or character development

hq_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-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

3.5

This is an enemies to lovers, second chance romance. Although this book is fast-paced, it is loooong. It’s equally sexy and equally heartbreaking and I thought A. Jade did a great job of writing Lennon’s emotional pain and Phoenix’s self-destructive personality. There were times in really felt the pangs of heartache. 

More than just a romance, this book also covers difficult and emotional topics such as grief, addiction, drug use, death, bullying, fat shaming and dementia. I definitely feel these topics are handled well by the author and are relevant to the story, but do check the trigger warnings.

This book gets pretty spicy at times and the sexual tension between the characters is excellent. Although I liked the romantic story, there are elements about their relationship that some will find very toxic - Phoenix is the definition of a flawed and morally grey character. He’s controlling and manipulative at times so if you find that triggering, you have been warned. 

At times I found Phoenix unlikeable and completely toxic which then made me question Lennon’s logic. When reading romances, I love a strong female character but it frustrates me how easily Lennon gave in to Phoenix’s charm at times, especially after everything he’d done. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Fatphobia, Sexual content, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Death of parent, Dementia, Grief, Death, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Infidelity and Domestic abuse