Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

69 reviews

storminateacupbooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Death, Gore, Violence, Gun violence, and Murder

Minor: Alcoholism, Body horror, Drug use, Vomit, Death of parent, Car accident, and Toxic relationship

kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

This book is about a group of women who all have been victimized by violent men & have watched others die in front of them. It uses the slasher film as a model for the stories of each woman and the tie that binds them to one another. It was a fun read but not terribly scary. I didn’t care for any of the characters and I felt that the different things like excerpts from articles and emails and such took away from the story instead of adding to it - they were distracting to me and broke up the story in a way I didn’t like. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Sexism, Ableism, Blood, Emotional abuse, Stalking, Murder, Grief, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Gun violence, Gaslighting, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Violence, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, and Gore

sheisfierce's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I’ll say the negative first: I was horrified to find out after finishing this that a man wrote it, and the only  Black (& POC) character immediately dies.

That being said, this is the fastest I have finished a book in years. It was a thrilling read that I finished in two days and absolutely couldn’t put down. I was reading on the beach and completely lost track of time. Personally it sucked me in quickly and I loved how ambiguous/mysterious a lot of elements were. 5/5 stars on the suspense. The narrator was a really interesting voice that added a lot to it. I love the concept so much and I do think it was well executed. I’m not sure how much I love a man writing this story, and I do think I would have read it in a different light knowing that, so I’m kind of glad I didn’t realize it (not sure why I thought Grady was feminine name). 

This book got me back on my reading grind and I’m really grateful for that!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, and Police brutality

Moderate: Torture

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Confinement, and Toxic relationship

jackieyvette's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

First time ready anything by Grady Hendrix and it will not be the last. Not so much horror as it is suspense, but it was still an enjoyable read. Jumps right into the story and doesn’t stop. 

Crying score: too mad to cry 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Alcohol, Cursing, Mental illness, Misogyny, Alcoholism, Bullying, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Gore, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal cruelty, Blood, Car accident, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Violence, and Adult/minor relationship

itsheyfay's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Violence, Body horror, Cancer, Car accident, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Misogyny

Moderate: Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Sexual harassment, and Abandonment

Minor: Mass/school shootings, Ableism, and Racism

apestforwrens's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious 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

4.75

Slow start but worth it. Our heroine takes a little time to warm up to, but do not let that discourage you. This is coming from someone who does not like horror: I loved this book.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Physical abuse, Medical content, Misogyny, Death, Gun violence, Murder, Mental illness, and Grief

Moderate: Chronic illness, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Medical content, Police brutality, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Animal death, Cancer, Confinement, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident, Child abuse, Cursing, Mental illness, and Abandonment

Its a slasher, there is genre typical content. Because it takes place from within the heroine's head, there is some derealization.

morgcxn's review against another edition

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

1.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Death of parent, Child death, Murder, Gore, Terminal illness, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Cancer, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Grief, and Addiction

leahrosiee's review against another edition

challenging tense fast-paced

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

2.0

This was … wild. The author does a great job of making you feel just as crazy as the MC in the beginning. I just don’t think a male author could accurately write about the fears of women who have been preyed upon their entire lives. I felt the whole time it would be better as a movie. There wasn’t much “horror” at all, though there were so many twists and turns it became hard to keep track of who the target was.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Toxic friendship, Death, Gun violence, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Gore, Blood, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Mental illness

Moderate: Sexism, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Stalking, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

Minor: Child death, Death of parent, Cancer, and Excrement

rebeccaxpaige's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Murder, Ableism, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

anoveldestination's review against another edition

dark reflective tense fast-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

4.0

I was intrigued when I first started this book, but I wasn't sold until the ending. At the beginning, I struggled to understand the character's motivations and questioned the choice of Lynette as the narrator over other girls in the book, but by the end, Gary Hendrix had once again made me fall in love with all of the characters and their journeys. There's so much that happens in this book and so much to unpack, that I'm honestly still processing it. However, Grady Hendrix is a talented writer, and he juggles so many complex themes, characters, and plot points with ease. The writing and story are both emotionally impactful and suspenseful and entertaining. 

With all that being said, I thought the pacing was off. The story starts with a bang, but I thought the whodunnit plot dragged in the middle, and the scenes at the police station, while important for Lynette's character backstory and growth, felt like they didn't add anything to the plot and were an unnecessary interruption. I also think that while each character was developed well in the story, there were too many characters. I don't think we needed to see Michelle in the story. I also think some of the themes could've still been communicated without having both Garrett and Stephanie in the book. I wasn't sure if Garrett needed to be an actual character in the book or just someone we heard about through Lynette. Also, Pax, while essential to the plot, I don't think the story needed him and that Gary Hendrix could've found a way to make the plot work without Pax. Still, I was never overwhelmed by the number of characters. I just think some of the characters and their purposes felt too similar. 

Despite my issues with the book, I love the way everything comes together at the end. The book is also engaging, with great moments of suspense. It's a true thriller that you won't want to put down. Within this entertaining plot, Grady Hendrix manages to insert truly original characters and communicate important feminist themes. The book is the perfect balance of reading for pleasure and reading for enrichment. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Police brutality, Sexism, and Violence

Moderate: Cancer, Car accident, Drug abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Eating disorder, and Homophobia