Reviews with content warning for Toxic friendship - Solitaire

Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Solitaire by Alice Oseman

122 reviews

grizzlysnack's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

4.5

As someone who relates to Tori Spring, and has since been out of high school for a couple years, I felt a truck hit me when I was looking through the eyes of our 16 year-old protagonist.

I do understand the reviews with an opposite rating I’ve given (reading the updated August 2020 edit,) could be from the different edition of text. To those who said it was trying too hard to be edgy and dark, I think they missed the whole point of Tori’s narrated world view. She’s not supposed to be a likable character. You’re not meant to make Tori a role model. You’re meant to see that mental illness can slowly kill you, regardless of how old you are when you start feeling ‘off’ or ‘wrong’.

Overall I feel Oseman was able to portray mental illness in a realistic way. Distancing yourself from others because it’s easier than explaining what’s going on in your head. Getting bouts of anxiety, anger, and hopelessness seemingly out of nowhere. Even seeing forms of media in a completely different light than your peers.

This story resonated so deeply for me. I hope it does for others as well.

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s1effe's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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sparrowwe's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

3.75

Content Warnings

bashsbooks's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful tense fast-paced

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

4.25

That was emotionally ravaging. I don't know what I was expecting... I guess maybe something more smoothed-over like Heartstopper? But I'm glad it isn't. I needed this book when I was a teenager. I'm happy kids have it now.

I've read some of her later work and I can see how she has improved as a writer. But this is a damn good start.

Content Warnings