Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Les Optimistes by Rebecca Makkai

22 reviews

juliej0715's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

I loved this book. It was a slow start for me, but I also read it in super small chunks at first so it was hard to keep people straight. About 1/3 in, it really picked up and I couldn't stop thinking about it and reading it. It's so sad yet perpetually full of hope and love and friendship and caring, and reflecting on what's important in life. It was so good I want to read it again. I wish there were more books exactly like this one. I also loved it being set in boystown (now northalsted) Chicago and knowing all the places they were going around Lakeview and the city. Just so good overall.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Police brutality, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Genocide, Medical trauma, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Drug use, Grief, Toxic relationship, Pandemic/Epidemic, Addiction, Alcohol, Death, Drug abuse, Violence, and Medical content

asienerbrown's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Homophobia, Grief, Terminal illness, Medical trauma, Death, Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Hate crime, Sexual content, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Police brutality

crabbytaco's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Chronic illness, and Medical content

Moderate: Homophobia, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content

addie's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Homophobia, Death, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Medical content

Moderate: Drug use and Infidelity

Minor: Addiction, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, and Racism

kaela_arcuri's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Addiction, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Death, Sexual content, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Pandemic/Epidemic, Drug use, Grief, Hate crime, Abandonment, and Medical content

kimveach's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad slow-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

3.5

I wanted to like this book more than I did.  The dual timelines broke up the story too much for me.  I preferred the story set in 1980s Chicago to the one in the present day.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Cancer, Classism, Hate crime, Police brutality, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, Homophobia, Mass/school shootings, Ableism, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Violence, Vomit, Cursing, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Gore, Toxic relationship, Grief, Outing, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual content, Blood, Body shaming, Dementia, Drug use, Excrement, Medical content, and Abandonment

alexashabit's review against another edition

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? Yes

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia

Moderate: Toxic relationship

mmaack24's review against another edition

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? Yes

5.0

i think this may be the most beautiful and compelling work i have ever read. i admit that i was a bit skeptical at first, as it is written by a straight cis woman and about queer struggle, and also because it seemed to be so solely about queer struggle. i worried that it would be 400 pages of just trauma and sadness, but the emotions are so complex and the characters are some of my favorite depictions of queer men and complicated relationships i have ever experienced. i am so incredibly in awe, and i have a feeling this will put me in a reading slump because at the moment i can’t picture anything else being good or even worth reading because of how gorgeous this book was.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Sexual content, Medical trauma, Suicide, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Racism

ccee's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual content, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Toxic relationship

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad slow-paced

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

5.0

i thought this was just phenomenal. both storylines interested me and i felt so so much for the characters. this broke my heart but also put it together. this was devastating but beautiful.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Gaslighting, Chronic illness, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Classism, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Grief, Violence, Vomit, Cursing, Hate crime, Death, Medical content, Police brutality, Sexual content, Addiction, and Alcoholism