Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

673 reviews

lauralintunen's review against another edition

dark funny medium-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Death of parent, Cancer, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Drug abuse, and Grief

Moderate: Vomit, Sexual content, Fatphobia, and Sexism

Minor: Antisemitism, Confinement, Xenophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Islamophobia, Suicide, Racism, Abortion, and Pregnancy

_corrin's review against another edition

challenging funny reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Toxic friendship, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Confinement, Vomit, Sexual content, Eating disorder, and Death of parent

Minor: Sexual assault, Ableism, and Cancer

blunderw0man's review against another edition

challenging dark inspiring reflective sad slow-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: Death of parent, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Grief, Fatphobia, Drug use, Cancer, and Eating disorder

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abortion, Toxic friendship, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Blood, Classism, Violence, and Animal cruelty

jbbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

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

2.5

Tragic, absurd and very sad, often felt revolted by the depravity of the lives depicted, yet also aware that there were deep seated reasons for the behaviour. If it is funny, it’s very warped. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, and Toxic friendship

It’s been an experience!

odairsjlaw's review against another edition

dark sad 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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Drug use, and Eating disorder

potatereader's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-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: Death of parent, Eating disorder, Drug use, Addiction, Cancer, Toxic friendship, Drug abuse, Vomit, Mental illness, and Sexual content

Moderate: Death, Grief, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Confinement, Death of parent, Infidelity, Addiction, Cancer, Self harm, and Sexual assault

sunn_bleach's review against another edition

dark reflective fast-paced

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

3.5

I see why some of my friends hate this book. Everyone is an asshole, and it's hard to read about an incredibly privileged woman in NYC living out her rebirth and actually getting it through... sleeping a lot. It's a goddamn tough sell.

I interpreted this as "American Psycho" for the new millennium, taking aim at the empty promises of everything being perfect through a character who's over it all. The parents' stories were cliche, but I know people who have lived very similar lives to these (sleeping notwithstanding), from the Long Island girl who wants to prove it to the ex-beauty mom who's fully aware of her vacuity. The ending is not a surprise; if anything, its inevitability is part of the subversion to the titular year of rest and relaxation.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Cursing

Minor: Death

acstar's review against another edition

dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Sexual harassment, Torture, Toxic friendship, Drug use, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Rape, Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, Classism, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Medical content, Gore, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, and Suicide attempt

liz_rath's review against another edition

reflective fast-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

Could have been an e-mail.
If this had just been the last chapter I'd have given it a much higher rating, but the way it is I feel like it's just very deeply mid. Don't read this if you don't like unlikeable protagonists though or it will feel like torture.

Honestly the book seemed deeply confused about it's themes becauee unless the intended take away was "If you're unhappy with your life and suffer from depression Jus continue being a shitty person refusing to cope with your issues abouse a bunch of drugs and your attitude and life will magically fix themselves eventually" then it was lost. If that was supposed to be the take away then "Uh weird message bro, but sure". I liked the whole disaffected Millenial stick but it did not carry a whole book. At times it felt more like I was reading a character bible instead of a story. And with how it ends, her plan just working no real twists or curveballs, I was just left wondering what the point was.
Like I'm not one to demand a classic american story structure. You just had a cool quick idea and protagonist doesn't change substatially or learn anything by the end - fine by me. But we did not need so many words to tell this story (and I am using the term very liberally here) and the thing doesn't have that many words to begin with.

But whatever the prose was competent and it was a very quick read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Grief, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Self harm, Mental illness, Drug use, Toxic friendship, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Gaslighting and Alcohol

Minor: Ableism

itsmaren's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Abortion, Cancer, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, Body shaming, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Medical content, and Panic attacks/disorders