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allisonschoneschmetterling's review against another edition
1.0
I thought this would be similar to Ellen Hopkins in her artful truth of drug addiction and how it destroys friendships and families- but this was so heavy handed and forced. The dialogue is cringe (like the author researched everything there is to know about street drugs and shoved all of it into every scene - mixed with an adult writing as a teenager. Who says “what the shit” ???) I was hopeful for a story about two young women and their friendship through hard times but this just reads like drug/trauma porn.
The toxic friendship between two drug users rings true and the drug abuse in the food industry is so real. But I didn’t appreciate how Irene is preaching to the reader about safe drug habits and how she got clean and she feels so sorry for those who don’t get clean etc etc etc… maybe it’s supposed to be meta (like when the Reddit thread tells her to take accountability for her role in Luce’s addiction) and her preachy nonsense is supposed to be ironic because she was basically the villain of this story… idk. I didn’t like a single character in the book so it made it hard to care about their fates. I wish the ending was as emotional for me as it was intended but I just… didn’t care.
All in all it makes me wonder who books like this are for. Do these books do anything good for people curious about drugs, or for people who have struggled with addiction? Is this just glorification of drug use? It basically reads as a how-to-guide… not cool.
The toxic friendship between two drug users rings true and the drug abuse in the food industry is so real. But I didn’t appreciate how Irene is preaching to the reader about safe drug habits and how she got clean and she feels so sorry for those who don’t get clean etc etc etc… maybe it’s supposed to be meta (like when the Reddit thread tells her to take accountability for her role in Luce’s addiction) and her preachy nonsense is supposed to be ironic because she was basically the villain of this story… idk. I didn’t like a single character in the book so it made it hard to care about their fates. I wish the ending was as emotional for me as it was intended but I just… didn’t care.
All in all it makes me wonder who books like this are for. Do these books do anything good for people curious about drugs, or for people who have struggled with addiction? Is this just glorification of drug use? It basically reads as a how-to-guide… not cool.
anovelobsession's review against another edition
5.0
Mesmerizing and heartbreaking are the first two adjectives I come up when I think about this book. Irene and Luce are trying to get by in small town North Carolina. At the beginning of the book they have been clean for almost a year and then a tragedy occurs that has their lives spinning out of control again. Told by Irene, the story weaves back and forth between the beginnings of their relationship, their clean time and what happens after. Beautifully written and very heartbreaking, opioid addiction is horrendous - what it can do to people, their relationships, their future, is devastating. I will be thinking about this book for a very long time. Highly Highly recommend.
tjb16d's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
4.25
kyliejpierce's review against another edition
4.0
This book played with my heartstrings. Having first hand experience with drug users, this book brought up a lot of old feelings and memories. Well written and really sucked me into the story line. I appreciated how the author gave a complete ending to the story. Well written and I appreciated the storytelling on the authors part. I almost felt like I was in the friend group and experimencing life with The girls.
maggienoodles's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
5.0
A riveting spiral. Incredibly well written.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Drug use
Moderate: Death and Sexual harassment
k_bridgeman's review
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Addiction
Moderate: Death
bkdrgn303's review against another edition
4.0
A tough and gritty read. It will make your heart ache. Trigger warnings for drug use/abuse, sexual abuse.
khyson's review against another edition
I don't think I can give this an objective rating. If you love or have loved people deep in addiction like these characters, this novel ceases to be a fiction read. Painful and sad read for me. Found myself dissociating through it. Rather wish I hadn't picked it up. Fair warning to others with similar pain points <3
aleckscasablancs's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
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
Great book and pretty informative into the world of narcotics. The characters were challenging in their stubbornness but overall I was invested.
caleighrian's review against another edition
4.0
ooooh my gosh. brutal and beautiful and very effective