Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Corrupt by Penelope Douglas

39 reviews

queen_'s review against another edition

challenging dark reflective 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Sexual violence

Moderate: Stalking, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Torture, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Rape, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Violence, Mental illness, and Gun violence

anastashamarie's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

3.0

3.5/5 (TWs listed at the end, plz read)

If you take the 2006 film The Covenant, remove the magic, flesh out the plot a little more, and add smut...that's what this book is. An untouchable group of mischief-causing, incredibly attractive bad boys who enthrall everyone with their mystique. Old money posturing and politicking that leads to a revenge plot that uses the sweet blonde FMC as a pawn. Dramatic confrontation scenes that could have been resolved with a much-less-attractive, logical conversation. Some unexpectedly homoerotic tension that I don't think was intentional. The vibes are identical between the two.

And those vibes are immaculate for the first 2/3 of the book. But around 67.5%, this takes a weird atmospheric turn that I didn't vibe with as strongly. Idk how to explain it, but the storyline just didn't carry the same oomph after the 67% mark (the spicy scenes still did for sure, but I'm talking specifically about the actual storyline). It went from this hot push and pull between Rika and the whole Horseman group, to a different dynamic that I didn't enjoy nearly as much.

Also as much as I enjoyed the Rika and Michael circling each other, I really just felt bad for her the whole book because everyone around her objectively sucks. This girl deserves better than the thousand red flags surrounding her entire social circle. I hope she finds a genuine friend eventually or that at least the ones she does have treat her better.

But this was greatly enjoyable as a guilty pleasure read. I see why people like Penelope Douglas if this one was any indication, and I am going to read the next one for sure.

⚠️ TWs: lots of sexually explicit scenes, sexual assault/harassment, violence, murder, arson, gaslighting, manipulation, bullying, alcohol use, death of a parent, death of a dog (side note: wtf did this need to be in here for?)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Sexism, Sexual assault, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Violence, Animal death, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, and Alcoholism

Minor: Car accident

A dog dies in the last chapter; I feel like you can just totally skip that chapter and feel like things are neatly concluded.

ac_blanco's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.5

Really really weird plot and not even a cute romance. Something inexplicable that’s just engaging about this book 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Gaslighting, Death, Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Murder, Kidnapping, Alcoholism, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Cursing, Blood, Emotional abuse, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, and Infidelity

becflourish's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Stalking, Physical abuse, Violence, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Cursing, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Addiction, Blood, Body shaming, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Sexism, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Car accident, Alcoholism, Confinement, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny

pages_for_holly's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Bullying

Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Animal death, Murder, and Violence

Minor: Death of parent

dkdjsjdjsjssjjs's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Torture, Violence, Bullying, Sexism, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Alcoholism, Drug use, Stalking, Murder, and Death of parent

annareadz's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Blood

Moderate: Bullying and Gaslighting

Minor: Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Rape, Emotional abuse, Animal death, and Toxic relationship

rorolovesbooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

I really loved this book, it had me on edge. I loved Erika but not Michael for everything he did to her. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Misogyny, and Sexual harassment

feriel_b's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

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

0stars , i don't even have the energy to explain just Rika girlies im saying this from one woman to another : fucking run , get a new fake ID ,a new life , hire a body guard ( thor maybe )  because these horseshit's idiocy knows no boundaries 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, and Alcoholism

midnightrose_reads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Corrupt is the first book in the Devil’s Night series. It’s about a young woman named Erika Fane and a young man named Michael Crist. Erika and Michael have felt a connection to each other that they’ve both tried to ignore their whole lives. It finally comes to a head on Devil’s Night, and changes all their lives forever. This was a strong start to an exciting and well loved series. Michael and Erika have a crazy amount of chemistry together. Also reading about his friendship with his fellow friends The Horsemen (Kai, Damon, and Will) was really enjoyable as well. The found family aspect of their friendship was really beautiful. Suspenseful, sexy and shocking this is definitely not a book for the faint of heart!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Violence, Blood, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Alcohol, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Gun violence, and Kidnapping

Minor: Incest, Animal death, Death of parent, and Sexual assault