Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

If He Had Been with Me by Laura Nowlin

29 reviews

sarahshock's review

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

This is one of the best books I've ever read. 10/10 recommended!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Toxic friendship, Blood, Self harm, Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Suicide attempt, Grief, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Drug use, Alcohol, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship

laurenrestad's review

emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

this book broke me. i loved it though. i’m going to need a epilogue on it, or even a version where finny lives. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic friendship, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Child death, Car accident, and Cursing

llychu's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense 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

1.5

would i recommend this? HELL NO 😭😭😭 i know im in the minority and this book can be suchhhh a hit or miss, but fromy my standpoint, this book was almost insufferable

so disappointing i cannot emphasize this enough 😭 and a second book for what??? oh, right. JS FOR MONEY CS I HEARD THAT WAS EVEN MORE DISAPPOINTING 💀 like is that even possible??
ok anyway for the actual review:
incredibly incredibly slow from the second chapter alllllll the way till like 4 chapters before the end maybe

definitely more of a coming of age than romance; romance only picks up at the very end but its hinted throughout, + finny might as well not even be the main love interest cs jaime??? his name is on like every page from start to end

ending was incredibly rushed and i cant even feel sad for her cs girl what rhe hell

LIKE WHAT RHE HELL DID I JUST READ ONG

like yes i knew this was coming but WHAT. WHAT as in a plot twist way but the plot twist was js for shock factor and it was js slapped in there like bro 💀 worst plot “twist” ever—if you would even consider this to have a plot cs its js that bad

im being merciful with my .5
i mean hell even with my ONE .5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Self harm, and Car accident

Minor: Toxic relationship, Car accident, Abortion, and Toxic friendship

p.s. the abortion thing can be inferred but its not explicitly stated in the book

venice_the_vampire's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

1.0

are you kidding me. i am never reading a straight person book again. what the fuck was this. why did i waste my time reading 400 pages for THAT. YOU CANT REPLACE THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE WITH A CHILD ARE YOU KIDDING ME YOU CANT REPLACE YOUR PARTNER PERIOD THIS IS SO INFURIATING 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Death, and Car accident

maddielags's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I can’t even describe this book. It has left me absolutely speechless.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Drug use, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Toxic friendship, Sexual content, Eating disorder, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Toxic relationship, and Infidelity

gduds98's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Mental illness

Moderate: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Self harm

emnah10's review

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

2.0

Personally this book wasn't my taste, it felt rushed in the end and overall very convenient. The ending wasn't good at all, I had a little more expectations. I liked the beginning of the book, because it explained very easily the feelings and relationships a young girl goes through, something a lot of us can relate to.

But the ending kinda ruined it all for me. I had higher expectations because of the way everyone had hyped it up and when that wasn't met. 

I still liked this book for the most part and this could probably be a good book for people who like endings like that. And when I say the ending disappointed me, I'm not talking about the fact that the thing everyone knew was going to happen did. But at how weak and defeated autumn was represented in the ending. It felt as if all her progress to becoming someone else had simply vanished. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Chronic illness, and Mental illness

reemoony's review

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-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

im clawing at my hair and biting my pillow please read this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Bullying, Alcohol, and Car accident

funkaroo12's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

2.75

*she's not like the other girls* This book is just the most woah-is-me and predictable storyline. Autumn being so different, beautiful, and weird is constantly stressed as the driving force behind the plot. Yet she's so thick-headed 🤦🏼‍♀️ "What, me????" Is the vibe I get from her. Maybe I'm just not the audience for YA anymore. I would not want my daughter to read this book before she is 18. Even then, I'd encourage her not to waste the time or brain space.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Car accident, Toxic friendship, and Death

juliedenn4's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.75

It’s the only book I’ve ever read that’s made me cry. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Child death

Moderate: Mental illness and Pregnancy

Minor: Abandonment and Toxic friendship