Reviews with content warning for Toxic friendship - Hunting Adeline

literally never trusting anything i see on tiktok ever again. i know this is a book, a story, but the main characters have the WORST main character syndrome i have ever seen. they’re all completely insufferable, nothing relatable to them at all. “addie” a self-absorbed indie author who’s personality is being insufferable and horny. the siberian husky man who’s the leader of a vigilante syndicate that targets sex traffickers

(and then goes on to r-word addie with a GUN. so admirable)

and then of course her super cool sexy bff Daiya™ who is a genius hacker leaking government secrets. oh my god i hate them all. and yes i get it, this is smut, but i feel like the most stimulating thing, or at least would better it, would be creating an immersive story surrounding the kinky sex right? right??? i have seen stories on ao3 written by preteen girls that are leagues better than this garbage. not to mention this felt like listening to slam poetry; the writing of this is so unnatural and cringey, i know the author whipped out that thesaurus and went to work on it. when DogMan saved the little girl named Sicily and she told him that her parents named her after their hometown bc they couldn’t go back so they named her Sicily so they could always be home<333 ???? just your average everyday interaction between Man and Child. after listening to that i wanted to shut my car headlights off and let fate decide how my own story ended that dark rainy night. jesus christ. not even judging people for THE gun scene (i am) but mostly judging those who decided this was a fantastic book, literally read the first chapter and you will be told otherwise. feigned emotion. boring. gross author self-insert kink fantasy. i hate this book. i am so mad. girl what are we doing

Content Warnings

lavendar's review against another edition

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After a few people & book-tok had recommended this book, I went to check it out. After reading articles online, and barely glancing in store, I got stopped by the trigger page, and then proceeded to have a discussion with those that had recommended it.

On a basic book review level it’s poorly written, full of clichés and useless profanity, needlessly grotesque, explicit to the point of insanity & generally nauseating, with a middle-schoolers vocabulary in a VERY adult setting.
And while these genres have plenty of others struggling with the same things (occasionally appreciated for the ease it gives in reading comprehension & a “book-binge”), presenting similar tropes & situations in a dark twisted way that makes you think, or at least catches your interest — this one takes it too far.

People can read what they so choose. Everyone has different taste, interpretations, interests, opinions, & reasons behind a book. That’s the magic of stories, there’s something for everyone & perhaps this is your sort of romance novel; that’s okay. It doesn’t have to be mine.
I appreciate the warnings in the book; the author is very upfront from the get-go, honest, informative, and properly trigger-warning & encouraging that very sentiment; if this isn’t for you, don’t read it.

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Drug use, Hate crime, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Grief, and Toxic friendship

While it does address topics that are horrific and not one to turn a blind eye to, it handles them in the worst way possible. It does not represent or speak on behalf of survivors, it does not show allies or healthy support systems, it does not give any hope for a path toward healing, helping, or even teaching better. And that is the reason I write this. The attempts at justification & encouragement in the book itself when it comes to these matters is NOT okay. It does so without reprimand, growth, or any lesson aside from enabling. Going so far as to paint anyone who disagrees with the abuse, assault, and murder as hurtful, judgmental, & not-supportive or “accepting”. To try to paint this as “female empowerment” and a “sexual awakening” to be embraced, to make assault “sexy”, to be a “dark” & “morally gray” plot — in reality, it is none of those things. Only one, that glorifies abuse. Stalking & Stockholm syndrome, is not a “love story”. Pain is not love. This is not an “anti-hero”, the blunt reality is a rapist & murder. And a woman who is raped, assaulted, abused, and attacked physically, emotionally, and mentally to the point of gaslighting over & over again. There is no justification. No, “love heals all wounds”. This is assault, this is abuse, and this is wrong. — Selling it as anything else is a VERY dangerous & frankly hurtful message. Because the reality is while this may be a work of fiction, and is definitely dramatized, this has been someone’s reality. Not a plot line. Not a turn-on. But something real, dangerous, and life-wrecking. Main-stream media depicting and “selling” this ideology, book-toks full of making jokes — ships — saying “he’s so romantic” or “all I want in a man” or “a sad boy” & reacting with “OMG my heart broke” consuming “the angst & brooding”, calling it fiction & dark-twists on fairytales; a “game” only ignores reality and encourages worse ones. The horrific truth is: Human trafficking is real. Sexual assault is real. Sexual abuse is real. Physical abuse is real. Emotional abuse is real. Gaslighting is real. Gun violence is real, and people die from it. Stalking is real. Domestic violence is real. Toxic relationships are real and too commonly occurring because people aren’t taught to see the signs, especially when books like this call red flags “enticing”. Abuse occurs to many people in many ways through many relationships; it is harmful, and very dangerous. And danger is not something to strive for. Fear should not play a role in intimacy. And you don’t need this book to know that. This book will not teach you or give light to “truly take in the depth of horror”. Or create some fantasy that breeds anything other than harm. That is not real. So, please heed the warning, really read that first page by the author on triggers & content, and consider it the next time you go to make a post or recommend it to a friend. Stories and words have power, use them and your time wisely. Do the things that bring you joy and closer to safety & health. And for me, this book was not that.

moxiereads's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

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

1.0

Content Warnings

saffiyahk's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

Content Warnings

lettuce_dance's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious relaxing sad tense 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

Personally I loved it, l just got back into reading and I have been looking for a similar book/series since. Have finished the series and unsure if I’ll find another book that grasped my attention as much as this did.

Content Warnings

ladykristyofwigtownshire's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced

3.0

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