Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Girls by Emma Cline

60 reviews

itsheyfay's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Evie, please go see a therapist.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Murder, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Blood, Infidelity, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Cursing

abbiemreads's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Pedophilia, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Drug use, and Sexual assault

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

The first couples pages of the book were over-the-top flowery language, and I wasn't sure if I was going to stick around, but it calmed down a little bit. I think the strongest parts were the descriptions of the very challenging time of pre-teen/early teenager-dom, when girls are really trying to just figure out how they fit into the world. I did not like the use of "Asiatic" to describe childlike banter - that feels.... not right and insulting to Asian languages. Just really unnecessary. I'm not sure if I'd read this author again because I might just not be able to get on her level of stuffed sentences. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Drug use, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Gore, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Bullying, and Excrement

Minor: Gaslighting, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Animal cruelty, and Animal death

groverreads's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

2.0

Bored teenager thinks she is special and does profound things, but she doesn’t. Overhyped book, pretty boring read! Some nice prose though! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Sexism, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

nirellis's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

3.75 but I’ll round up for the sake of the writing. 

This was a trip but the writing style was easy to read and filled with quotable lines and insights that made me think of my girlhood. 

Not quite sure what to take away from this book but it was a good filler to read in between fantasy books and got me pretty spooked at times. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual assault, Murder, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic friendship

bethybooevans's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

2.5

Just didn’t live up to the hype or my personal expectations at all. I felt that the present day Evie and the narrative surrounding Sasha and Julian was very irrelevant and a lots of unnecessary content just to give the comparison between younger Evie and Sasha.
The book would have been more engaging had the focus been on the cult and the facts surrounding it. 
However, the gruesome men were portrayed well and Evie’s relationship with Susanne was intriguing.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Blood, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

Moderate: Child abuse, Blood, and Bullying

katelynleonardi's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Child death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault

mariaviola's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual assault, Death, Drug use, Violence, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Pedophilia, Toxic friendship, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Rape, Alcohol, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Death of parent

kingcrookback's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

In terms of the subject matter--that is, girlhood, abuse, and the capability/desire to enact violence--The Girls is in the same vein as Gillian Flynn's Sharp Objects. However, The Girls is a much slower, almost meditative experience than Flynn's novella. The crime itself is nearly an afterthought. The majority of the focus is on the buildup to the horrific event. The prose is beautifully descriptive but laconic at times. I suggest having a lighthearted, uplifting read lined up after this.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Drug use, and Infidelity

Minor: Classism and Death of parent

arys_library's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

I really loved this book! It was amazing and I cannot wait to read more from Emma Cline. I love how the book was written; in a nostalgic way from the protagonists pov. It was really easy to be put into her shoes. I was amazed actually how I felt like I was in the main characters mind, which was kind of foggy yet also knew that what was happening in that moment wasn’t what the mc thought was happening. It’s hard to explain but it was like I got two povs and two “truths” while reading the book one time with one pov. At first I didn’t like how the good parts seemed romanticized and the bad parts seemed skimmed over, but as I read on, I realized it was purposefully made that way and I’m not sure how I feel about that. I wish the bad parts were more known and described more, even though that might change the story. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, and Sexual content

Moderate: Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Violence