Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Milk Fed by Melissa Broder

14 reviews

arbramirez's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Lesbophobia, Sexual content, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Addiction, and Body shaming

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship

elderwoodreads's review against another edition

dark emotional funny fast-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

5.0

This was my first book by Broder and I will certainly be reading more. I did have a heads up this would be weird going in which I think helped, but I think the weird was used well and was necessary.

I personally liked the ending, however, I get why others didn't. I like endings where there is some realism about how much people are able/willing to change for each other, but I definitely get that it's frustrating

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Sexual content, and Mental illness

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, Incest, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Alcohol, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Biphobia, Blood, Excrement, Genocide, Vomit, War, and Xenophobia

maxattack's review

dark funny reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.25

This was honestly a really fun story, but I can’t say I particularly liked any of the characters. They’re all train wrecks. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Vomit, Sexual content, Mental illness, Body shaming, and Eating disorder

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Cursing

Minor: Biphobia, Classism, Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, and Violence

The main “love interest” is a mere fetishization of a “type” of human being

rgrgrg's review

emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Body shaming, Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Toxic friendship, Sexual content, and Fatphobia

hannalizzy's review

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.25

I really enjoyed this book. I think Broader’s frankness around disordered eating habits and self love/mental health issues is needed in literature, to truly capture what it is like to experience these things. It’s raw, it’s graphic, but it is reality to many people. I wish I would have gotten a little more detail about Rachel’s mother, since the relationship was so toxic and effected her so deeply. We can still see its toxicity through the lack of contact between them in the book, but I guess it would have helped me understand Rachel a bit more since cutting out her mother was the catalyst for her healing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Mental illness, Lesbophobia, Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Sexual content, Self harm, and Homophobia

Moderate: Dysphoria

kaymichelle's review

reflective fast-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Fatphobia, and Eating disorder

icarusandthesun's review against another edition

challenging reflective 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

2.5

an eating disorder recovery story featuring a queer woman with mommy issues. the chapters are very short (most of them only a page or two long), which was lovely, and the plot kinda strange but intriguing.
couple of intimate scenes.
it was quite alright, just got a little bit boring as the story progressed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Biphobia, Eating disorder, Lesbophobia, Sexual content, and Homophobia

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Body shaming, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Fatphobia

tanviuma's review

emotional funny medium-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

4.25

i loved this book - clearly as i read it in one day. i related to rachel a lot and found it comforting to have a similar experience written out in front of me. however i think people in ed recovery should be wary of reading this, as although it could be helpful in some cases it can also be very triggering. especially the first half of the book. however i think melissa  broder did not intend for it to be triggering and i applaud her amazing writing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Dysphoria, Fatphobia, Incest, and Vomit

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Antisemitism, Biphobia, Lesbophobia, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Outing and Suicidal thoughts

ecn's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad 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

3.75

If you like aimless and unlikeable characters, this one’s for you.

The MC was insufferable in all the wrong ways. I was hoping for growth but it felt like it was always entirely about how she grows for others - nothing within herself. 
Yet, I was still drawn to her story so I could see what happens  

The story felt real, but was also really disappointing. No characters made me care about them - I felt bad for Miriam, Rachel was simultaneously selfish and people pleasing, and all other characters were miserable side characters. Maybe the story wasn’t for me? Maybe I wanted more from everyone and it was too much? Maybe it was just too real of a story to feel satisfied.

The story is about sexuality, desire, and longing but it feels more accurate to say it’s a view of how hard it is to be gentle and caring for ourselves and others when it comes to our wanting. How can all parties remain unharmed when desperately grasping for things you want, deserve, and seemingly can’t have?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Antisemitism, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Biphobia, Bullying, and Eating disorder

anapthine's review

emotional funny 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

3.0

Suggest reading content warnings before reading book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Homophobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Fatphobia, Lesbophobia, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness

Moderate: Outing, Alcohol, Biphobia, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Blood, Body horror, and Child abuse

Would not recommend to someone who had/has an eating disorder. Binge eating and calorie counting is a recurring theme and is described in detail.