Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Looking for Alaska by John Green

77 reviews

liddiereads's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.0

This book was okay. Some teen books can still hold up for young adults, but I wouldn’t read this again unless I somehow could transport to the past and was suddenly a teenager again. It’s kind of slow at first, but it’s a nicer read when you get to know the characters a bit. In the After portion of the book, I hated the way Miles (Pudge) reacted about the event. He came across incredibly selfish and I really just wanted to tell him to shut up. 

Anyways, I wouldn’t say it’s a bad book, I just didn’t really like the directions made in the book with the characters. It’s just okay

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident

Moderate: Alcoholism

sleepyochre's review

emotional funny mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Car accident, Grief, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Death, Vomit, Suicide, Sexual content, and Drug use

Minor: Infidelity and Death of parent

ktdaugherty's review

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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Death, and Suicide

Moderate: Death of parent

rustyray's review

emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Great message about loss and grief. Sometimes hard to stomach the super smart teenager dialogue, but Miles was relatable in his angst, shallowness and selfishness

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism and Suicide

keelan's review

dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Grief, Suicide, Terminal illness, Addiction, Mental illness, and Alcohol

chronicoverthinker's review

sommerferien

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Death

chrztnnn's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

[NOTE: Brief mentions of alcoholism, mental health issues]

Many times I have been tapped to read this since high school and now I did. Watched the series first before finishing this one. Another sad, sad book to note.

In his debut penning of young adult adventure on half-lives, John Green chronicles the story of four friends (Miles, Colonel, Takumi, and Alaska) on matters of school, memorable teachers, messy love, and it's hardly called friendship with whatever instant connection they have. The novel tales utmost loyalty and sacrifices just to understand what one's heart desires to understand. Their bond is envious. Truly.

There are themes that I think are part reasonable for the work to be banned, but all of them only serve as bona fide proofs that the author also tackled the surmounting challenges on youth mental health, alcoholism, and the familiar teenage efforts of securing belongingness and traversing youth wanderings.

Readers, at the end of the book, will wonder for at a day if their friends and family will also be capable of such mourning just to understand the meanings of sudden loss of life. I mean, I did. Perhaps even too much.

 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content, Alcoholism, and Bullying

Minor: Suicide

anutter's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad fast-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: Vomit, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Sexual content, Suicide, Classism, and Death

kristinetp's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

Would I read it again? No

John green was kind of a weirdo for this one, tbh. Just really don't like this manic pixie dream girl situation, which I will admit that he kinda does confront, but I also just hate the way he writes about Alaska's body. I understand that it's from the perspective of a teenage boy thinking about a teenage girl, but I was just thinking about 28 year old John Green sitting there writing about this 16 year old girl's breasts hanging from her chest and I just cannot....

I wouldn't read it again (again), but it was fun to revisit a book I haven't read since high school. It does not hold up, but I still like some of the themes ("suffering is universal" had such an impact on me at 16 years old).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Death, Sexism, Car accident, Alcoholism, Grief, and Vomit

siriface's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, Alcoholism, and Car accident