Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Idol by Louise O'Neill

13 reviews

sorkka's review against another edition

mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, and Stalking

Moderate: Drug use, Rape, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Addiction, Abandonment, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Sexual violence

luxxltyd's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Rape, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Vomit, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Addiction and Drug use

Minor: Body shaming

clairew97's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• 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

0.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Cultural appropriation, Infidelity, Gaslighting, Grief, Addiction, Abortion, Chronic illness, Dementia, Drug abuse, Pregnancy, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cursing, Abandonment, Body shaming, Bullying, Eating disorder, Alcohol, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexism, Drug use, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Stalking, and Toxic relationship

dlsmk's review against another edition

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? Yes

1.5

I hated this. I think that was the point but it was also just a slog. Not for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Death of parent, Dementia, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, Body shaming, Bullying, Drug use, Gaslighting, Infertility, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Pandemic/Epidemic, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship

charlottefannon's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Misogyny, Body shaming, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Cursing, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Stalking, Addiction, Fatphobia, Abandonment, Alcohol, Bullying, Toxic friendship, Body shaming, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Drug use, Domestic abuse, and Drug abuse

Minor: Dementia

madelinequinne's review

dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I picked this book up on a whim and i’m so glad i did! i wasn’t expecting much, i thought it was just going to be your run of the mill adult thriller based on the cover, but it was so tense and really makes you reflect on how we view celebrities! it was a great view into the minds of people who commit assualt and how they’re not all these faceless monsters of men who creep in dark alleyways, they can be people who we trust and look up to and who’s persona convinces you that they could never commit an act as horrible as rape. 

I’m obsessed with books that have unreliable narrators, and this one is a perfect example of it. I spent a lot of time switching between believing Sam and her story to questioning that maybe everything isn’t what it’s made out to be and she’s perhaps not as innocent as she’d like people to believe. From big things like whether that night with Lisa was assualt to whether her parents sent her away or if she chose to go to Utah herself, all these twisted tales add up to make her a perfect unreliable narrator. 

I was often reminded of Pretty Little Liars whilst reading this book. The unknown online troll and the ‘popular girl in high school being an awful person’ trope has very similar vibes to that show, and I feel like Samantha is what Allison would have been like as an adult if the writers of PLL hadn’t completely ruined her character. 

I heavily recommend this book if you’re looking for something that will keep you hooked, though i advise checking trigger warnings because there’s a lot of heavy stuff discussed 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Alcohol, Body shaming, Bullying, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Abortion, Eating disorder, Rape, and Stalking

Moderate: Dementia and Death of parent

books_r_cool's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was so unlike anything I’ve ever read before. It’s safe to say I’m now obsessed with this book and it will be the only thing I think about for a while.
The plot twists of the main character realizing she misremembers things? Exquisite.
This book was packed with social commentary but not once was it boring. The writing style and the storyline in general was SO GOOD.
At the end I liked not a single character, they were all such bad people and they all sucked. The way they were written was so modernly evil.

Samantha in the beginning was a successful woman who had built an empire for herself healing and empowering women through her own stories of trauma and her life experiences. Lisa’s claim absolutely ripped her life to shreds as we saw everything deteriorate from her social presence, her image on social media to her health mental and physical. She goes to her hometown to try to sort this mess out but as the reader we end up seeing everything fall to absolute pieces as we find out that Sam has misshapen so many of her memories and experiences to the point that she believes they’re true herself. These characters are so flawed (not in a quirky girlboss way, they are literally fucked in the head especially Sam). In the end we find out that Sam has gaslit herself once more but for the very major thing that is Lisa’s sexual assault claim being true. Her career is gone, she is a terrible person (and not to mention extremely mentally ill and delusional) and nothing was solved and no one learnt anything. It ended in turmoil I absolutely loved this book.

This book was amazing incredible showstopping and I loved it. (please read cws)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Vomit, Abortion, Addiction, Drug use, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Rape, and Toxic friendship

feebles640's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Bullying, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Alcohol, Fatphobia, Abortion, Body shaming, Drug abuse, and Addiction

Minor: Dementia, Death of parent, and Panic attacks/disorders

0ldoini's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Rape, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Abortion, Body shaming, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Fatphobia

Minor: Dementia, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pregnancy

hippiequeen's review

dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

Such a catchy and dark novel, it had me hooked and quite often twisted my guts. At first, I was rooting for Sam, but then oh god, it seemed like everyone was just soaking in darkness in this story. I guess it’s the beauty of Louise O’Neill’s writing; I have been reading her stories since I was 18 and they have helped immensely with dealing with my own traumas. This book is not for those who can be triggered by a number of things, so I would recommend being careful, but overall it’s such an amazingly written book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Rape, Gaslighting, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Alcohol, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Stalking, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Infidelity, and Fatphobia

Moderate: Pregnancy, Abortion, Forced institutionalization, and Dementia