Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Last Night by Mhairi McFarlane

15 reviews

laurenkimoto's review against another edition

emotional funny sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Whoever categorized this as romance, I would like to have a conversation. This is firmly in the genre of women’s fiction (I.e. if you gender swapped the main characters it would just be general fiction). 

I was not prepared for the level of emotional devastation that was going to occur. I was thinking this was going to a somewhat serious but still romance focused book but no shot through the heart. 

Overall good characters and good development, but I do feel like the use of one character being a psychologist was a bit trope-y and was just used to make a plot point/revelation. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death, and Dementia

Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Child abuse

mbmontgo's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful sad medium-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Death, and Dementia

Minor: Physical abuse, Drug use, and Child abuse

chaermander's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-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? It's complicated

3.0

As always, Mhairi McFarlane's writing style is humourous and easy-going (with some lovely vocab), but this book is a little disappointing compared to the others of hers that I've read. Very very little plot - seriously, nothing really happens. The character development starts slow: this took me a while to get into because, if there's no real plot and no real character development, what is there? But it starts to quicken from about 60% in, and there are some nice phrases and interpretations of grief and relationships. This one will be heading to the charity shop, though - not one to reread down the line. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Dementia, Car accident, and Death

Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, and Terminal illness

bekkaru's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Car accident

Moderate: Child abuse, Dementia, and Physical abuse

Minor: Drug use

mishaps's review

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Grief, Terminal illness, Drug use, Dementia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Death, Infidelity, and Toxic friendship

bubblesofbayla's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

I really like Mhairi McFarlane's writing. It's very chatty, is how I'd describe it. So much detail, but not in an overly descriptive way, more in that you really get to know each character's way of looking at the world.  My main qualm is that it sometimes feels like too much to fit in just one book. Like, we get to the happy ending and then the book's over. I want to get to spend more time with the relationships she spends so many words nurturing. This one, even more than the other I've read from McFarlane, is not a straight ahead romance novel at all. Big content warning for death and grieving!! But what's so wonderful about it is that she shows us love in the context of life, and that makes the relationships (and friendships! such good side characters!) that much more rewarding. So, bascially if we could get some fluffy novellas for the "afters" that'd be great, but really I'm happy with what she's giving us: some beautiful, complex humans, and how they find the love they deserve. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Grief

Moderate: Child abuse

Minor: Drug use and Panic attacks/disorders

eligru's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Dementia, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Car accident, and Child abuse

Moderate: Violence, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Vomit, Grief, Drug use, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, and Terminal illness

nora_bom's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Death, Car accident, and Grief

Moderate: Death of parent and Domestic abuse

Minor: Drug use, Alcoholism, Cancer, and Panic attacks/disorders

beccaruthe's review against another edition

dark emotional funny sad 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Moderate: Drug use, Death, Dementia, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Grief, and Car accident

Minor: Death of parent, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, and Panic attacks/disorders

lpfoley's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective 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? No

5.0

I don’t know what exactly I expected to be honest. It’s charming in all the right ways, comfortably predictable, and when I’m having a hard time I could see myself just rereading and rereading and rereading. The humor is perfect, the relationships and characters are just complex enough to subvert a few expectations and the descriptions of grief and self realization are spot on. Such a delightful read. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Dementia, Child abuse, Infidelity, and Death

Minor: Drug use, Abandonment, and Violence