Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Yes, Daddy by Jonathan Parks-Ramage

46 reviews

kwarnimont's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

2.5

This was a hard read. 100% check the content warnings before giving it a go. I thought it was well written and (unfortunately) very easy to visualize what's going on. Tons of great conversation about consent and classism that unfortunately didn't have a satisfying ending. Just heartbreak after heartbreak after heartbreak. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Rape, Kidnapping, Violence, Drug use, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, and Confinement

Moderate: Classism

shereadytoread's review

dark tense fast-paced

1.5

Where this book really failed me was the classification as a "thriller" and in some places I've seen it categorized as "an erotic thriller". This book is a very specific delve into conversion therapy, sexual explotation of poor gay men, and conflicting religious beliefs. 

First trigger warnings: this book is FILLED and very frequent sexual assault, rape, and sexual abuse. I would estimate there was 1.5/10+ sexual scenes that were openly consensual. It is the premise of almost the entire story. There is also exploration of conversion therapy, homophobic families/churches and financial abuse. 

Those trigger warnings are why this story being marketed as a "thriller" is completely wrong to me. This book very explicitly explores how a man uses financial abuse to entrap a man that has already been sexually abused in the past. Nothing about this is "thrilling". There are no plot twists. It is a straightforward horrific story. There was nothing I didn't expect and spent time trying to figure out, other than how this terrible abuse would be resolved. I'm not sure how any of this is "thrilling". It is compelling, gritty, and it is fast-paced. I read it in one sitting (partially because if I put it down, I doubt I would have picked it up again). It makes callbacks to #MeToo in some ways I won't really explain because they are spoilers, but I think it missed the mark.

Disclaimer: I received a free finished copy from the publisher.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Confinement

Moderate: Drug use, Homophobia, and Alcohol

Minor: Violence

cherryblossomreads's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Jeg har ikke så mange ord om den her endnu, men jeg var fanget og fastholdt, rørt og ødelagt, så noget har den da gjort.

Den beskrives dog som en historie, hvor et 'idyllic' forhold mellem Jonah og Richard ændrer sig til noget mørkt, men jeg følte ærligt aldrig at det var godt mellem dem, og et ødelagde lidt starten af historien for mig.

Men den er voldsom. Virkelig voldsom. Læs CW og TW (Content og Trigger Warnings) inden, du går i gang, hvis du vil være forberedt.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Violence, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Classism and Suicide

caterpillarkat's review

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Gaslighting

Minor: Drug use and Incest

bluehairedlibrarian's review

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I'm still not sure how to feel about this book. It wasn't what I was expecting, and the foundation of the entire story is queer trauma. At times I felt like it leaned on negative tropes used to condemn gay men in the not-so-distant past, but at the same time, queer authors should be able to write about anything. In this book, the author explores the types of horrors that can come from a relationship that not only has a large age gap between partners, but also a large gap in authority and power.

With that said, this book is dark and traumatic, but the writing quality kept me reading despite the horrors on the page. Jonah is a compelling narrator and I sympathized with him while also thinking he was a complete idiot at times. The situations he got himself into could be excused by his naivete and Midwestern religious upbringing, but at the same time, he was incredibly naïve. He's also a very unreliable narrator, but I liked the framework that is revealed later on in the book. I thought it a bit strange for it suddenly to revolve around his non-relationship with a side character, and the ending felt strange and little forced.

I can't say I enjoyed this book, but I don't regret finishing it either. It's difficult and does not fall under the Gothic Horror trope at all. It's a difficult read, but a mostly well-written one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Bullying, Child abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, and Torture

ajankloss's review

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Homophobia

Moderate: Suicide, Drug use, and Gaslighting

samuaint's review

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

4.5

This book was deeply compelling but very dark and triggering to be honest. A wonderfully written tale that I'm honestly not sure I would recommend reading because the subject matter it so difficult. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, and Physical abuse

Minor: Child abuse, Drug use, and Alcoholism

rachel_sf's review

dark tense medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Rape

Moderate: Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Religious bigotry

a_stylish_bookworm's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

Wow!! I expected a thriller but this was more a contemporary fiction. It was a great story that explores a lot of subjects like rape, fame and privileged and religion. The story follows Jonah a struggling screenwriter/waiter that is trying to find success. He meets Richard, a rich older gay screenwriter, and his life is changed. I didn’t expect for the book to be so dark but it was well written. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Drug use

marter2001's review

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Homophobia, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Mental illness, Drug use, and Drug abuse