Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

139 reviews

liahopkins's review against another edition

dark tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

This is the second Gradx Hendrix book I've read (first one being my best friend's excorcism) and I am starting to become a fan (though mbfe was better). 
I thought the concept was very interesting and an entertaining twist of the genre, especially since the final girls' backstories/franchises actually take heavy inspiration from existing horror movies. I am not a very big slasher connoisseur (I have only watched the first scream movie), so I had a lot of fun using my very limited knowledge and the power of Google to figure out what movies the different characters were references to. The characters themselves were fun as well, although I wished they were fleshed out a little more. Lynette especially was a very interesting protagonist because of here intense paranoia, which made the reader question whether you could trust her or if all of this conspiracy was just happening inside her head.

I have to say though, it was a little unnecessary that Adrienne, the only black character, dies first. Yeah, I get that it's supposed to be humouring the slasher trope of "black dude dies first", but I would have really appreciated seeing more (/anything at all) of her, because based on what we got to know of her, she seemed like a very likable and caring character.

There were a lot of different twists, some more foreseeable than the others

(for example, Skye being the killer didn't shock me at all, but when it was revealed that Steph was also involved I was truly surprised)

and it was very fun trying to keep track of all the plot points and connections. However, in the middle part of the book, I thought it was slacking a bit and I had trouble staying engaged. The characters of Garrett and Chrissy felt a little out of place and at times even surreal

(the part where they visit Chrissy, her weird final girl museum and her homicidal boyfriend felt more like a bad dream than anything else. Same thing with the scene in which they leave a dead Michelle in a park with some old man.)

. 
I really enjoyed the ending.

I liked that noone died, and the scene in which a heavily injured Lynette runs away from the killer to distract him from the others was very well written and almost moving. The last chapter itself also felt very touching, because it showed the characters healing, physically and mentally.

Overall, this was a very fun read and I am excited to put more of the author's work onto my TBR.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cancer, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Grief

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Excrement

lycheejelly's review against another edition

mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Ableism, Confinement, Cursing, Hate crime, Rape, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

michaelawatkins's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Gun violence, Terminal illness, Kidnapping, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Alcohol

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders

kristenreads's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Terminal illness, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism and Cancer

pkc's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

Part slasher, part study in trauma, this book is as empowering and emotional as it is grisly! I really didn’t like the protagonist for the first 100 odd pages, but she grew into her skin. I don’t think it had the balance of horror and reality that Hendrix’s other books that I’ve read had, but I enjoyed it all the same. I’d have scored higher if not for the slower start.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child death, Death, Drug use, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

leeghlee's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mass/school shootings, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

hmetwade's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cancer, Cursing, Drug use, Terminal illness, Vomit, and Kidnapping

em_chata's review against another edition

adventurous tense fast-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? It's complicated

2.5

I gotta be honest, I was pretty disappointed reading this book. I had a hard time really enjoying the characters, and I felt that the author really overused the word “crazy” when it came to discussing individuals who went through incredibly traumatic experiences. The plot was sporadic and entirely too quick for my liking, because it left no room for contemplation, really. The main character irritated me, and I understand that she was supposed to be portrayed as a woman who went through severe trauma, but (like I said) I don’t think the trauma was really captured well/portrayed properly. I failed to empathize (or sympathize) with her, and it was difficult to sense any emotion whatsoever within the book. The “bad guy” claims jumped around so much and it was just too obvious, which annoyed me. The ending was cool, I guess, even if it was a little cheesy.

I think that trauma survivors, especially in fiction books, deserve some badass ending—that might just be me though. Meeting with Stephanie and trying to “save” her, and claiming she was groomed by Skye? Eh. Not really my scene.

All in all I think it could’ve been done better. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, and Blood

Minor: Addiction and Alcoholism

sav_22's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This book is a lot of fun. Very captivating, interesting plot. The concept of final girls in the real world is very alluring to me as someone who loves slashers and horror movies like the Scream franchise. I also admire the diversity in age range specifically, as the narrator is in her 30-40s, which I feel is rare in these circumstances. I also appreciate

how unreliable the narrator can be due to her trauma! She is very complex, she grows on you but it really does a good job exploring how trauma changes your entire way of thinking and feeling. The more you read, the more you question her sanity and her truthfulness.

 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, and Dysphoria

vj_thompson's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

2.75

I didn’t really understand what was happening until page 164. Not long after is when I got bored with the plot. It was a cleaver idea but not executed well. I don’t think Grady Hendricks’ books are for me.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, and Stalking

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, and Cannibalism