Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

58 reviews

sorkka's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Slavery, Infertility, Classism, Emotional abuse, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Stalking, Gaslighting, and Sexual content

caroisreading's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad slow-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? It's complicated

2.5

Sometimes you don't vibe with a book, and this is one of those for me. I made the mistake of listening to the hype, seeing the awards, and inflating my expectations. I still think this book is still important, and worth a read, with a sobering message. 

The writing is repetitive and meandering, a first-person POV with a protagonist I had a hard time liking, surrounded by other characters that were faintly filled in, and just as difficult to warm up to, often frustrating me. No one likes each other, any relationships are rote. 

It's a story with no satisfaction intended, and there are no spikes of events, just a long narrative. The entirety is desolate.

The commentary is clear: humanity is cruel. Life is futile. Innocence is lost. The real world is a lie.

Maybe I'll try re-reading when I'm in a different mindset.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Death, and Toxic friendship

ginbat's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

Beautifully sad, unique. I grew to appreciate this writing style and think it would very well. This book made be feel sad and angry, and I feel like it's a better for a few things. I guess that's what makes it a "good" book. It doesn't make me feel good things, but it does make me feel things.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness

Moderate: Body horror, Death, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, and Confinement

Minor: Torture, Child abuse, and Medical content

scytheria's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Medical content, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, and Medical trauma

Minor: Homophobia and Infertility

mlewis's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical content, Death, Bullying, Sexual content, Terminal illness, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Grief, Infertility, Infidelity, Xenophobia, and Cancer

kaitoro_walker13's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

A very lovely book. Very readable, very well-written, but I do wish that the plot developed faster in some areas.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Infertility, and Death

mary_juleyre's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Medical content

Moderate: Toxic friendship

issyd23's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.0

Basically the quiet, artsy, English version of Michael Bay’s The Island. TBH I kinda prefer Bay’s version with car chases & explosions 3👩🏼‍🍼

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Infertility, Medical content, Torture, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Chronic illness, Confinement, and Terminal illness

sammelito's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective 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

4.5

Emotionally gripping story, with a narrative style I loved. Focus on the characters, but with a looming dystopia which added to the whole.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Toxic friendship

Minor: Medical content

cmcrockford's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Terminal illness, and Death

Moderate: Cursing, Medical content, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Sexual content