Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai

51 reviews

late_nite_reads's review against another edition

challenging mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Wow….this book tackles a lot of topics ( American judicial system, memory, adolescence, #Metoo movement, victims of domestic abuse, the dark aspects of womanhood, and coming of age.) Plus Bodie’s voice was so STRONG. Like this read like an actual letter or diary, it felt so personal. Plus Bodie is super flawed which I think is Makkai’s point surrounding the plot of the novel. Like Bodie is conniving, manipulative, selfish, and hypocritical, and still naive. But that’s what made this story realistic. Bodie wasn’t a hero and her desire to be one was crushed by reality. This is the perfect book club book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Death of parent, Grief, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Blood, Bullying, Sexual harassment, Drug use, and Eating disorder

karen_lo's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

3.5

3.5 stars

It's confusing at the beginning, but once you pick up the pace, it's okay.

This is a very slow-burn book that reflects heavily on sexism, racism, gender-based violence, and memory.

I liked it, but I was expecting a confrontation that never came. I guess it's a parallelism with life, and how sometimes you're just left wondering the what-ifs, the could-haves, and the should-haves of important things.

I definitely wanted justice and liberty for the innocent ones.

It was a bittersweet read

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Sexism, Violence, Rape, Racism, Infidelity, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Alcohol, Death, Sexual content, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Body shaming, Cancer, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, and Eating disorder

Minor: Drug use, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Cancer, Mental illness, and Fatphobia

kefowler's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Drug use

amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Classism, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Death of parent, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Alcohol, Body shaming, Murder, Confinement, Death, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Police brutality, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Rape

Minor: Antisemitism, Colonisation, and Homophobia

jennabeck13's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai 

⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5)

Genre: Mystery

About 435 pages

Bodie Kane had a tough time in high school. She never quite fit in at Granby, a somewhat snooty boarding school in New Hampshire, but yet over a decade later she finds herself back at the school teaching two mini-courses. Not only did Bodie have a tough time throughout her four years but she had to deal with the murder of her former roommate, Thalia, during their senior year. Being back at Granby has forced Thalia’s death to the front of her mind. Bodie can’t help but feel that the case was not investigated properly and that Thalia hasn’t received the justice she deserves. When a student of Bodie’s decides to cover the case for their podcast, Bodie can’t help but dive back into the rabbit hole herself. During the mini-semester, Bodie discovers she knew more than she realized about Thalia’s death.

I enjoyed this book and there was nothing I explicitly didn’t like. However, it felt like something was missing? If I was to try to point to something, I would argue that the pacing was off/too slow. I found the story interesting and I enjoyed Bodie as a narrator. I also liked how Makkai tackled some of the topics we have grown to find important in criminal cases such as racial profiling, grooming, privilege, etc., and the impact true crime shows/podcasts now have on investigations

Favorite Quote: “For a teenager, being seen a certain way is as good as being that way—and soon your vision became part of my self-image.”

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Physical abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Blood, Bullying, Death, Cultural appropriation, and Murder

Minor: Cancer, Adult/minor relationship, and Pandemic/Epidemic

michmoo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, and Death

Moderate: Sexual content, Alcohol, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Cancer, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Rape, Infidelity, Death of parent, and Self harm

hanhantap's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Toxic friendship, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Physical abuse, Eating disorder, Drug use, Sexual harassment, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Self harm, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, and Rape

Minor: Forced institutionalization and Infidelity

ecn's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Grief, Eating disorder, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Death, Classism, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Rape, Physical abuse, Drug use, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Racism, Mental illness, Infidelity, Hate crime, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, Pedophilia, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Body shaming

katarinabee's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

This book is like the first season of the Serial podcast, crossed with the dark academia vibes of Tartt's "The Secret History".  It examines true crime as a genre - such as how invested we can get in a crime; how difficult it can be to find the "truth"; and the power/limitations of "citizen detectives". There's also a deep dive into cancel culture - how it can be important and useful for challenging abusers in positions of power, but also looking at  problematic aspects too. I watched Contrapoints' video essay on YouTube about cancel culture around the same time as reading this book, which was a really nice complement. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, and Murder

Moderate: Alcohol, Car accident, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Racism, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Eating disorder, Grief, and Drug use

jesselopod's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-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

3.25

A well written book with a disappointing plot 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Cancer, Murder, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Drug abuse, and Rape