Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

23 reviews

jenyakohnson's review against another edition

i buddy read this book with my friend bc we were bored and both fans of the tv show.

this book was def written in early 200s (not  derogatory). if you read the clique books growing up then this is the next series. lots of mean girls & gay girls which was great ! lots of pedos and that made me v uncomfy 🫠 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Bullying, Eating disorder, Racism, and Pedophilia

katjuschae's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious relaxing 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Sexual content, and Misogyny

Moderate: Death, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Alcoholism, Child death, Lesbophobia, and Racism

Minor: Vomit and Self harm

bibliorama's review against another edition

dark funny 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

Did I power through this in a matter of days? Yes. 

It was a pretty fast read compared to my normal speed. I was curious about this book series after remembering that I never really got any satisfaction from the show about A. I'm hoping the books give me that, and beyond that I'm in the mood for some toxic drama. 

If you see this review and are worried about my reading tastes, don't worry, so am I.

(My star rating is purely off of vibes and means nothing)

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Eating disorder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Lesbophobia, Stalking, and Classism

Minor: Self harm and Sexual content

The book is pretty much about how horrible young teens can be to each other, and there are some pretty crappy adults thrown in as well. The writing didn't feel as if it was showing these themes to be a good thing and it felt like it was highlighting how messed up it all is. While also dealing with heavy themes with the main characters, thr writing built in a lot of empathy for the main 4. I especially felt for Hanna and Emily.

wackzo's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense slow-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, Stalking, Vomit, Body shaming, Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Hate crime, and Toxic friendship

kitty_may12's review against another edition

mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.75

as the first book in the series the mystery was set up pretty well, enjoyable. morally grey main cast of characters were just loveable enough for me to root for them.    

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Vomit, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, and Bullying

Minor: Ableism and Drug use

blume13's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Toxic friendship, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Stalking, Bullying, Eating disorder, and Body shaming

Moderate: Racism and Lesbophobia

Minor: Vomit

violet03's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Cursing, Murder, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Eating disorder, Alcohol, Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Racism

Minor: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Self harm, Religious bigotry, and Bullying

ameliaflint's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

Guilty pleasure. I actually love this book. But it's SO RIDICULOUS. Twelve-year-old seventh graders are not going about having sex with eighteen-year-old seniors or drinking or partying. I giggle a little every time I remember Alison was like twelve when she disappeared.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Outing, Murder, Lesbophobia, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Homophobia, Drug use, and Alcohol

honben's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

I'm a big fan of the show (completely aware that it is mostly garbage) and I wanted to give the books a shot and I am shockingly pleased. This book contains only what happens in episode 1 of the show (just a heads up) and when I realised I was thrilled. It gives you much more insight on the characters, and there are major differences with the show but I actually feel like I will like the books better (specially in the romance department) and though the writing style is very simplistic it makes it much easier to read.
Already started the second one.
P.S.: there is depiction of mental health struggles and there are moments when even the narrator is fatphobic, I remember a specific line from one of the last chapters. I attribute this to the year it was published, but obviously, it is not nice to read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Grief, and Homophobia

Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, Classism, Gaslighting, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Death, Emotional abuse, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Car accident, Infidelity, and Murder

Slut Shaming isn't on the list of trigger warnings, but there is a ton of it on this book.

livingwithghost's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

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

3.25

wanted to re-read this series for nostalgia and to get back into reading. a whole lot of nothing happens in this book. i enjoyed it though knowing what else happens in the series.

honestly the worst part about it is the amount of weird adult/minor relationships being played as sexy, forbidden love stories. sure they’re forbidden, but it’s because they’re weird and inappropriate.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Car accident, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, and Fatphobia

Moderate: Cursing, Grief, Homophobia, Racism, Self harm, Classism, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Vomit and Murder