Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason

62 reviews

lime_soda's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Mental illness

brynpemery's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Miscarriage and Pregnancy

janienejulia's review

emotional funny sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Pregnancy

Minor: Miscarriage, Abortion, and Vomit

sarahreadsromance's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.75

This book is heartbreaking… and also beautiful and also messy and also so very real.  It makes me sad, it makes me angry, but it also makes me hopeful and nostalgic, the original Greek.

I don’t know who said this book was funny.  I would not describe it as that.  It has humorous moments for sure, but on the whole this is not an “extremely funny” book. 

I loved it and I think you should read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Body shaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Cursing, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Grief, Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

accam212's review

challenging emotional funny inspiring reflective tense medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Abortion, Alcoholism, Addiction, and Self harm

sakisreads's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-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? It's complicated

3.0

I didn’t want to end up depressed, yet here we are 😂

Very downtrodden but still beautiful. I think we have all had ‘Martha’ moments in our lives.

There were moments where I did not want to stop reading and then there were moments where I had to drag myself through each page painstakingly 😳 So 3 out of 5 stars for me, thank you ✨ 

Content warnings included below!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

ashleyjean6's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

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

5.0

This is a difficult read that is also potentially extremely triggering. It is about a fictitious mental illness, but it's effects are very real and raw. If that sounds like it would not make for 5 star fiction, it does. Although bleak it is not without hope and it is absolutely gorgeously written! The audiobook is also beautifully narrated. Highly recommend! Definitely a top book this year, maybe period. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Grief, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Classism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Alcohol, Racism, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

sardinetin's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Grief, Miscarriage, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Drug use

peckreadsbooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny reflective sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Pregnancy

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, and Miscarriage

Minor: Abortion

savvylit's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

The best aspect of Sorrow and Bliss is the way that Mason portrays the personal significance of receiving an accurate mental health diagnosis. Martha, the main character, spends the majority of this novel struggling with her mental illness. She has deep depressive episodes. She tries multiple medications. The relief at finally knowing her (unnamed to readers) diagnosis was both palpable and powerful.

A difficult thing about this novel is that Martha uses her mental health struggles as an excuse to be genuinely rude and cruel to her loved ones. Especially her husband. Though eventually she realizes she's actually an asshole outside of her diagnosis, it was excruciating to experience Martha being needlessly mean-spirited.

Overall, I liked Sorrow and Bliss and following Martha's journey. The whole novel felt really realistic, even (and especially) in its most unlikeable moments.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Pregnancy