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dmackreads's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I’ve seen far too many negative reviews because “this is just a toxic shitty relationship and it’s disgusting” I mean, yeah? Stop reading books that aren’t your cup of tea. The synopsis LITERALLY tells you exactly what they are about and this one in particular laid it out pretty black and white that that’s exactly what this book is, toxic. Also I feel like it can really hit home to a lot of people but if you’ve never experienced a toxic relationship or even an abusive one or one with a trauma bond or even bad co dependency issues yourself then maybe you just wouldn’t get it and it obviously wouldn’t be for you. Be thankful for that and read something that works for you. If you’re looking for something that will make you feel some emotions, this will do it for sure.
Oh, and fuck you BJ Ballentine :)
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
adphillips0108's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Gaslighting
meaghanslibrary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
What brought down the rating for me was the descriptions of fancy clothes, like I get it’s Magnolia’s thing but I found it very distracting and it would take me out of the book.
I liked the dual POVs and learning about the characters through their past and present.
There are great lines in this book that are borderline too cheesy but I ate them up.
I highly recommend this book if Blair and Chuck were your favorite couple and characters in the Gossip Girl tv show. If you didn’t like Blair and Chuck you won’t like this book. This is top level toxicity that is entertaining to read about, but not good for the real world. Excited to read the rest in this series!
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
annagut1errez's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Vomit, and Gaslighting
bluebelle_reads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Drug abuse and Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia and Panic attacks/disorders
heidi_fischer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
• Plot - TOXIC. Stomach churning, vomit worthy, toxic.
• Characters - Flat. Magnolia is off in delulu land, which is semi-justifiable due to the fact she’s dating a textbook narcissist. That, and maybe because all the braincells were CLEARLY saved for her little sister (arguably the only dimensional character - sorry Tom, still love you).
• Ending - predicted it 50% of the way thru
It’s not worth NOT recommending this book because even the readers who love it don’t recommend it to people. And while it’s more of a “read at your own risk” kind of book, if you watch reality TV you’ll probably survive.
Not unscathed. Not without renewed trust issues. But probably you’ll survive…
:)
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Overdose, cheating, lying, narcissism, gaslighting.amalas_bookstop's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
How is the weather over there, Parks?
I am going to try and explain why this was a 5⭐️ read for me, because this relationship was one of mutual destruction and quite honestly I should hate it, but I don’t.
Our two main characters are Magnolia “Parks” and BJ Ballentine “Beej”. They have pretty much grown up together. Magnolia literally does not remember a time she did not know him. Throughout the whole story you watch them dance around the topic of why they are no longer together. They have created an amazing family of found friends from boarding school. At times when they did not have parents to count on they could count on each other. My absolute favorite relationship was between Magnolia and her sister Bridget (she is my fav). I loved the way they talked to each other so much. Bridget is pretty much our voice of reason in the book, she is constantly calling out Magnolia and BJ on their dysfunction.
Their relationship is absolutely something I would never want a friend/sister/brother to ever go through. They both use other people as objects when they get upset with each other. BJ sleeps around and Magnolia fake dates. However, I can understand how fear can make you go to a level you never thought you reach. Magnolia is so relatable, I can be the exact same way and say things are “fine” when they are so far from it not only does she lie to everyone in that sense, but she also lies to her self and creates this false narrative of how she really is doing. I hope that as I continue to read the series she is able to grow as a woman, find her self worth, and demand that from others.
I would totally recommend this to someone who has experience loss, not just in relationships. I think you would be able to relate to the feeling of not being able to let go. I cannot wait to move on to the next book.
Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Death
theinstabookworm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
veronicavalducci's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
eujenia_m's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol