Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

The Holiday Trap by Roan Parrish

15 reviews

relin's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Alcohol, Grief, Dementia, Infidelity, and Outing

sestout's review

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing 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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Alcohol and Infidelity

the_true_monroe's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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

While the overall story was not for me, I connected greatly with Greta’s family dynamic, the struggles it caused in her interpersonal relationships, and her transition into her own person outside of the enmeshed family. I loved how her thought process and realizations were thoroughly communicated to the reader but also her partner.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Chronic illness, Alcohol, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Vomit, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Drug use, and Transphobia

lost_windsock's review

emotional hopeful lighthearted sad medium-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

5.0

This book was so wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed it the whole way through. I felt so hard for both Greta and Truman. I related to Greta's struggles with her family a lot, and the advice she got from Muriel(who was just such a delightful side character) hit me so deeply. I loved Carys and how she was unwilling to accept anything but what she needed, and I loved how she helped Greta realize that was something she needed to give herself too. I also really loved Helen and Veronica, and their whole side plot was just a lot of fun. Truman's plot line honestly got me close to tears several times. The way he was treated by his ex, and the way he let others treat him for most of his life was just so upsetting, especially since he was just the absolute sweetest person. Letting himself tamp down his own creativity, not seeing his own art as art...I just wanted to give him a hug and tell him to shine. I loved the way he ended up meeting Ash, and the theme of everyone in town always recognizing Greta's sweaters made me laugh every time. The tenderness that he was able to offer Ash, who SO needed it, was one of my favorite parts of the book. Those gentle moments of just letting him let go and cry when it was so obvious he hadn't allowed himself that. I enjoyed Truman's side plot with discovering the roots of his favorite book series, and his friends Germaine and Charlotte were a really fun inclusion to the story. Having online friends that support you is real! And the representation of that was so refreshing! Also a big shout out to Ramona, who was a really fun character and whose cryptic texts split up the book into perfect chunks. The holiday themes in this book were actually quite subdued for a holiday book, but I think that made me like it more. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Sexual content, Dementia, Emotional abuse, and Vomit

annahamburger's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Cursing

Moderate: Dementia, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Grief, and Infidelity

Minor: Homophobia, Vomit, Transphobia, Racism, Antisemitism, Child abuse, and Terminal illness

h_elen's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship

Moderate: Drug use, Alcohol, and Dementia

stacy837's review

lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Alcohol, Sexual content, Infidelity, and Dementia

Minor: Toxic relationship and Bullying

pitsikakku's review

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Alcohol, Drug use, and Dementia

Moderate: Homophobia, Toxic relationship, and Lesbophobia

bencaroline's review

lighthearted

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

2.5

(note: I wrote up a whole thing and then somehow deleted it without saving, so this is an extremely lackluster, months-later attempt at a review)

God, I wanted to love this book so bad! The Holiday but gay, and in novel form?? Sign me up! 

Unfortunately, it missed the mark for me in the pathos department. It’s as if the stakes were told, but not shown nearly enough. And the whole thing has an undercurrent of pro-default-capitalism that I hate. Aside from the romantic storylines, each of our two protagonists has sort of a B-plot wherein they help people... be entrepreneurs, I guess? I'm all for the creative endeavors but there’s something about it where they are trying to Make Profits and somehow those methods endear them to a community more than anything else they do.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol and Sexual content

Moderate: Dementia

Minor: Drug use, Grief, and Homophobia

nickoliver's review against another edition

funny lighthearted 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol and Dementia

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Infidelity, and Sexual content

Minor: Transphobia