Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

48 reviews

gamerreaper13's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious 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

4.75

I was very unsure at the beginning whether or not I would enjoy this one, but then the plot very quickly drew me in, holding me in a chokehold for hours! I slowly came to love and adore the main characters after beginning to understand their experiences.

The plot is fast paced and thr book quickly becomes impossible to put down. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Torture, Toxic friendship, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Police brutality, Cancer, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, and Gore

justmys's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Vomit, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Torture, Murder, Misogyny, Stalking, Terminal illness, Sexual content, Body horror, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, and Sexism

Moderate: Confinement, Car accident, Cursing, Suicide attempt, Medical content, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

Not sure if I'll actively search out to read any more by Grady Hendrix. This is only my second book and it feels a little...icky? For lack of a better term. He's so determined to have women go through such harrowing events and it's just starting to feel like...like every other man making a living off of women's suffering????? Maybe the others are different but for now I need a break.

letters_from_gabriella's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-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

1.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Medical content, Kidnapping, Gore, Toxic friendship, Misogyny, Death, Pedophilia, Injury/Injury detail, Cancer, Violence, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Gun violence, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Drug use, Cursing, Child death, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Murder, Medical trauma, Mass/school shootings, Drug abuse, Stalking, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Sexism, and Racism

Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Vomit, Alcoholism, Lesbophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Suicide

ccoterie's review against another edition

2.0

God. Where to even begin with this book? The premise is strong and paves the way for a compelling look into the slasher genre and its final girls. It's clear (perhaps too clear, some references were basically direct copies) that Hendrix loves the genre. And yet I can't tell what this book was going for. There are a lot of details that left me baffled (not including racist stereotypes - I get that the book is an homage to classic slashers, but some tropes can die) or, as I look back on them, confused about their inclusion. I think this book could've benefitted from cutting a few plot points or picking a clearer tone.
The beginning involved a lot of starts and stops as I texted my friends my newest hesitation. I couldn't get into Lynn as a protagonist. Her mindset was certainly understandable, sometimes her paranoia was uncomfortably familiar, but something seemed off. It felt like an "I'm not like other girls" would've fit perfectly - there were some lines that got pretty close. Without a concrete reason to believe her mindset, Lynn just got on my nerves. The middle rectified this issue, providing a fast-paced action thriller that made her compelling. Chrissy marked another turning point.

I understand the reasons behind her inclusion - everything she has going on has potential. However, her mysticism, murderabilia, and boyfriend didn't have any payoff. They were all loose threads making more of a vessel for the author to get a message across than an actual character. I still can't understand why she was written to be so narratively cluttered. Her scene did not have to be as long as it was considering her sole purpose.

The ending left a lot unresolved for me, mostly regarding its mental health themes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Cancer, Confinement, Gore, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Blood, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Toxic friendship and Vomit

Minor: Addiction, Drug use, Racism, Drug abuse, and Mass/school shootings

The protagonist has codependent and paranoid thoughts/behaviors.

cssquared's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

I had high expectations and it lived up to the hype. The characters were highly developed and the story was exciting. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Addiction, Child death, Kidnapping, Medical content, Mental illness, Stalking, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Body horror, Death, Murder, Violence, Torture, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Drug abuse, Gore, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Rape

sarah_mcmullan_nz's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

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

1.0

If you're not  a horror movie fan maybe, if you are NOPE

As someone who makes their living out of watching and writing about horror films, this book was incredibly frustrating to read. 
In all honesty, I think I enjoyed trying to figure out who the characters were supposed to be way more than reading this poorly written, sloppily plotted incredibly obvious story. 
Having said that - don't waste your time. 

There are far better horror books, books about final girls and final girl films out there. Find them. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Blood, Drug abuse, Cancer, Cannibalism, Death, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Child death, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Torture, and Toxic friendship

lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

2.5

I have had this on my radar since its release because I have historically really enjoyed Grady Hendrix.
"The Final Girl Support Group" follows Lynnette, a woman who survived a massacre and gained the title of a "final girl". For over a decade she has been meeting with other final girls in a support group, in an effort to try to help one another survive life after tragedy. When one of the women misses a meeting, Lynnette quickly realizes that their worst fears are coming true, and someone is determined to bring down each of them.
Of all of the Grady Hendrix books that I have read, this one was my least favorite. One of the elements that I have really enjoyed about his books in the past is that although his books are dark and tackle challenging elements, there is always this outlandish, comedic element. Unfortunately, this particular book did not feel like Grady Hendrix's normal brand of horror, to me. This story was dark and forced the characters to face some of their deepest fear, but there did not feel like there was the same level of comedy.
Lynnette was such an unlikeable main character. She has centered her entire life around being a final girl, which I empathize that her trauma probably did that to her, but I felt like she had nothing else to her personality. She has purely been in survival mode, and she has not found any joy in life for decades. Additionally, for someone so closed off from people because she is always expecting the worst, she seemed to trust characters a little too quickly. This did not feel authentic to her character, and it felt more like a way to make the plot move along.
Although I did not initially see the big reveal about who was behind this, I also did not feel hooked or shocked by it either. By the time it was revealed who was behind this, I was so done with this story that I almost did not care.
I think this idea had a lot of potential, and I am sad that it unfortunately just did not work for me. However, I will still continue to read Grady Hendrix in the future, and I will still continue to recommend his books to the right reader. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Gore, Death of parent, Medical content, Gun violence, Stalking, Grief, Physical abuse, Murder, Violence, Toxic friendship, Torture, Child death, and Police brutality

melodyseestrees's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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

2.75

I read this book after several people recommended it. This book kept pacing well but that is about where the positives stop for me. The writing style was not my taste. There were a lot of plot conveniences. The main character built herself a panic room and it just happens to fail once the group decides to disband? All these women shaped by their trauma to survive let their guards down at the same time, save our main character? Sure, Jan. The varied reactions to a traumatic event did show a realistic variety- some of the girls prepping, some ignoring, one losing her composure. The characters just weren't written in a very 'final girl' way. I did not like how the antagonists were just squished into the plot wherever and I especially did not like the identity of the main antagonist. If you love slashers you will probably find this to be an okay read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Gun violence, and Murder

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Torture, Blood, Ableism, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Addiction, and Cancer

chasingpages1's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Terminal illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Torture, Mental illness, Cancer, Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Blood, Car accident, Gore, and Grief

Moderate: Gaslighting, Addiction, Drug abuse, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Child death, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Kidnapping

Minor: Confinement, Police brutality, Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, and Cursing

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