Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

149 reviews

abmochapman's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

3.0

The Final Girl Support Group has such an interesting premise and didn’t necessarily disappoint, even though it was not exactly what I expected. It is, of course, mirrored after slasher movies and  it focuses more on those themes than the support group itself. There is only one session with the main cast of final girls before their world starts to fall apart, again. From there, the plot inches forward until about halfway when it picks up and the book feels almost impossible to put down. The number of incredible, almost ridiculous twists is dizzying. As compelling as the climax is, I found it difficult to suspend my disbelief. The resolution is gratifying, but still, I am left with so many questions and pieces that don’t seem to fit together.

As other reviewers have said, that may be because The Final Girl Support Group doesn’t quite know what it wants to be. Is it a parody of slasher movies, or is it meant to be taken seriously as a thriller? Is it an ode to the genre, or is it a satirical deconstruction? Reviews praise it as having accomplished both, but I am a bit more conflicted. To me, the novel does not subvert its tropes as much as it relies on them.

The main character, for example, is overly-cautious to recorrect the naivety that she blames for her final girl status. Yet, it is also her irrational and naïve choices that lead her once again into the arms of the monster. She should not have been able to survive but by some miracle, she does.

Like the movies, it’s compelling but unbelievable.

Perhaps the best function the novel serves is to highlight our society’s disgusting obsession with and gross exploitation of victims of violence. The novel explicitly asks readers, “what does it say about us that so much of the entertainment we consume is about killing women?”. The plot, too, confirms the harm that movies and media that glorify mass murder can cause. It’s a very necessary conversation, and one that I am glad the horror genre is having. It’s interesting, though, because the novel is so self-aware except about how it might also contribute to the problem. Doesn’t it also exploit the phenomenon of violence against women (and our morbid curiosity about it) for entertainment and profit? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Blood, Stalking, Terminal illness, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Police brutality, Excrement, Grief, Addiction, and Suicidal thoughts

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

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Content Warnings

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

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

sngspicysword's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

THE PLOT TWIST OMG! THIS IS SUCH AN AMAZING BOOK! it’s really helped me get out of my reading slump. Highly recommend!!! I will say the author is a bit dramatic at times but the writing is INSANE.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Blood, Body horror, Chronic illness, Gun violence, Addiction, Gore, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Cancer, Stalking, Child death, Death of parent, and Police brutality

Minor: Terminal illness, Animal death, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, and Forced institutionalization

in_dire_read's review against another edition

funny 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Violence

Moderate: Mental illness

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, and Suicidal thoughts

clovetra's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Child death, Terminal illness, Ableism, Death of parent, and Kidnapping

Minor: Sexism and Suicidal thoughts

sarahbiegelsen's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Body horror, Terminal illness, Murder, Mental illness, Violence, Torture, Death of parent, Child death, Grief, Gore, Cancer, and Blood

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Medical content, Confinement, and Car accident

Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, and Cursing

natgoe's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, Body horror, Cancer, Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Violence

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.

 

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Content Warnings

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

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.

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Content Warnings

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

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

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

cara_anne's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Blood, Physical abuse, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Car accident, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Cancer, Gaslighting, Gore, Toxic friendship, Gun violence, and Police brutality

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Bullying, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, and Stalking