Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

With Teeth by Kristen Arnett

32 reviews

nicolepaul_ine's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

2.75

I’m just so confused as to what I just read. ..  I made some notes halfway through reading this that I’ll post here: 
White teeth

I don’t like the cliches of queer life - might be the reality for the author though but I wish the book had taken the portrayal of queer beyond the stereotypes that are already out there…

The characters are super unlikeable which I understand is the point but I personally just get more excited to read a book with at least one character I like. 

Also there are a Bunch of random events that never get mentioned again - attempted kidnapping, swimming lessons where sammie cheats on her wife, therapy and stalking the neighbor (okay most of these come back later in the book but like too late??)

The amount of times there is drunk driving blows my mind - is this normal to some people? I don’t understand it at all!!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Miscarriage

Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Kidnapping, and Toxic relationship

mosscovereddreams's review against another edition

lighthearted sad 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

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Alcohol

Minor: Blood, Alcoholism, Child death, and Child abuse

anngarth8's review against another edition

1.0

This book was feral and I found it really painful to read. I don't mean that a criticism -- I think Kristen Arnett accomplished probably exactly what she set out to do -- but it was not the right book for me.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism and Violence

bookreviewswithkb's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes

4.0

what a dark, cool, weird ass book. the further i got into the story, the more i started to realize it was an exploration of depression and alcoholism, and specifically how this can impact your closest relationships, which in this case were parent/child and intimate. 

i wish i could read it again but from Samson’s perspective. 

cw: fat phobia, body shaming, kidnapping, miscarriage, alcoholism, unhealthy relationship, depression, difficult parent/child relationship 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Fatphobia, Miscarriage, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Alcoholism

librarysoflyss's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Kidnapping and Stalking

rileyharrell's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective sad 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

3.0

I don't know why everyone is raving over this book so much... This one felt and read just fine? That's how I would describe this book. Fine. I didn't particularly find anything I really liked about it but there wasn't one thing that I really disliked about it either. I think Arnett was trying to prove that queer parents go through all the tried and true struggles that any other heterosexual couple would go through, dealing with a difficult child and all.

One thing I can appreciate about this book, though, was the pathos that Arnett evokes for Sammie. Sure, she does some things that I don't necessarily agree with but overall you can really tell that she is trying to do her best. It definitely is hard, though, because there are a lot of red flags in the coping mechanisms and techniques she uses that indicate they may not be the best way to handle the situations.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

sarahlovesbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark funny tense medium-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

4.5

I think these characters are going to stay with me for a long time. They were unlikable and complicated in such interesting ways. Plus, I really liked the way the author tied in asides with outside characters. At times the pace was slow to me, but I really liked the ending. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism

Moderate: Sexual content and Gaslighting

laurenparham's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Murder, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Stalking, and Toxic relationship

alylentz's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense slow-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

3.5

I think Kristen Arnett is a very talented writer, but her books frustrate me because they focus on characters in self-destructive situations and it feels like we make no progress with them until all at once, in the last 50 pages or less, things suddenly change. The ending of this book is strong and interesting, and I think overall this book grabbed me more than her last (there were points where I couldn't put it down, despite my conflicted feelings). I also feel like I'm in the minority in that I really loved the little slices of outsider POV. I know I'll continue to think about these characters, but reading her books are a bracing and intense experience, and I'm not sure they're right for me.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Alcoholism, Religious bigotry, and Sexual content

Moderate: Infidelity

caseythereader's review

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad medium-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

4.25

- This book was by no means an easy read - like Arnett's previous work, it was even downright difficult and uncomfortable at times. However, I truly appreciate that we've arrived at a place where not every queer character must be a perfect person, and we can explore messy and unlikable characters.
- I was there for the examination of queer adult/married life, and how the characters struggled with trying to match heterosexual norms while also losing their connections to other queer people.
- Every character in this book is just horrid and makes such terrible decisions, and yet you can't help but feel for them. It's quite a trick, and Arnett is the master of it. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence