Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann

31 reviews

kelsie4's review

adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Picked up this book not knowing how huge it was (both in size and in popularity) that they made a movie. All the more I was intrigued to read it. If you love a book carried by dialogue this is for you. I devoured this book. As a woman living in New York I feel that pressure to be something or other everyone is trying but you see only the special few make it. It’s an empowering book to see stubborn women paving the way for themselves but of course it comes at a price. Nobody’s likable but you root for them anyways to have a revelation and change. A book I’d like to have a copy of and let everyone I know read

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Death of parent, Classism, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Death, Abortion, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Misogyny, Mental illness, Body shaming, Toxic friendship, Fatphobia, Drug use, Cancer, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, and Alcoholism

macieslater's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.0

this book really pulled me in right from the beginning. i feel like im still gathering my thoughts but i absolutely love books that follow characters throughout their life, and it was really interesting how much some of them changed (especially neely). i can def see why this was so revolutionary at the time and i would be so curious to see a modern adaptation 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Eating disorder, Drug use, Body shaming, Addiction, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Mental illness, and Drug abuse

lollymac'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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Sexual content, Mental illness, Infertility, Forced institutionalization, Eating disorder, Drug use, Abortion, Self harm, Suicide, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Medical content, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Lesbophobia, Biphobia, Infidelity, Grief, Fatphobia, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Confinement, Cancer, Alcohol, and Abandonment

The book was slow to start as Anne isn't the most interesting character to follow around. But I raced to the finish as it became a telenovela. If you want to read about career women who get punished for every bad decision they make, and men who do the bare minimum facing no consequences and getting rewarded for it.

taleofabibliophile's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Abortion, Cancer, Death, Alcohol, Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Suicide, Confinement, Cursing, Misogyny, Death of parent, Drug use, Drug abuse, Mental illness, War, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Car accident, Lesbophobia, and Violence

Minor: Antisemitism

moonwillow27458's review

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Drug use, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Addiction, Death, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Terminal illness, Body shaming, and Gaslighting

vleighp's review

emotional sad tense 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual harassment, Mental illness, Fatphobia, Suicide, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Misogyny, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Sexism, and Addiction

i thought this was gonna be sad but be a girly wow women friendships are so powerful!!! it was not and i am sad sad as hell!! very good read though

haileyeh's review

dark sad fast-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug use, Suicide, Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, and Fatphobia

Moderate: Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Cancer, Infertility, Infidelity, Homophobia, and Abortion

gabriella_'s review

dark emotional funny sad tense

• 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

4.5

this book is going to haunt me, i know it. parts of the book are tough to swallow (esp the fatphobia/body shaming, ableism, and homophobia) but if you can power through, it’s so worth it. idk if this is a hot take but i think it has a similar message to the barbie movie but it does it better

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Gaslighting, Grief, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Cancer, Classism, Confinement, Addiction, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Abortion, Blood, Body shaming, Abandonment, Ableism, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death of parent, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, and Death

lbyars99's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Alcohol, Cancer, Grief, Homophobia, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Blood, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Death, Mental illness, and Pregnancy

rose12435's review

dark emotional sad fast-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

4.0

This book is dark and like bojack horseman for girls that enjoy drama and misery. While this book isn't happy, I genuinely enjoyed finding out how much worse the characters could get.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Suicide, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Alcoholism, Cancer, Fatphobia, Cursing, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Rape, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Drug use, and Grief

This book is dark and not afraid to hurt it's reader. Please please please be careful when reading it