Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Go Ask Alice by Beatrice Sparks

22 reviews

emjayknocks's review against another edition

challenging dark sad fast-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This book terrified me as a kid. I decided to read it as an adult because I discovered that it wasn’t a “found diary”, but rather a hoax - and there’s a documentary about it that I want to read. So, back to the source material!

I’m not sure if  the knowledge that an adult wrote this book has tainted my view…but WOW is it terrible. It’s scaremongering effort feels so transparent that it’s almost laughable. The character goes from innocent virgin schoolgirl to homeless drug addled prostitute in a mere 40 pages, and reads very much like “teenager written through the eyes of an adult who’s forgotten what it’s like to be an actual teenager”. The velocity with which she oscillates between Puritanism and heroin-fiend is jarring and unbelievable, clearly written by someone with no experience of drugs or addiction. And that ending? <insert “Get out” Cary Grant gif here>

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse and Drug use

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Addiction

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Rape, and Sexual violence

angel_0930's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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: Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Alcohol, Death, and Rape

kconnorz's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense 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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use

Moderate: Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Bullying, Drug use, Eating disorder, and Adult/minor relationship

razzyreads's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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: Death, Body horror, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Drug abuse, Addiction, Cursing, Sexual violence, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Moderate: Bullying, Blood, Trafficking, Violence, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Eating disorder, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Sexism, Alcoholism, and Car accident

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

challenging dark sad fast-paced

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

2.75

This book is wild af. After I learned that it was written as a cautionary religious tale, it made so much more sense because like. I just don't think that a few decades ago, in any random high school, students could just get truly a Target-run grocery list of drugs. Very prodigal son vibes going on. I give the author a bit of credit because she got me to keep reading, but my goodness. I won't be reading her again, but I will be reading the newish book about all of her lies and fables. I see why this was so popular when it came out though - it's literally sex, drugs, and rock and roll. And it was QUITE a maneuver to slip by critics with an anonymous pen name.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Addiction, and Bullying

Moderate: Mental illness, Body horror, Alcohol, Blood, Toxic friendship, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, and Sexual violence

Definitely read the context surrounding the book, if you're going to dive into this.

ninsvrs's review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

It is so challenging for me that this book was originally written as a secret diary. I just finished it and I am so moved and sad and filled with emotions and thoughts...

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Child abuse, and Death

chezler24's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

2.0

I am currently giving this book 2/5 stars although I probably would have rated it higher when I read it for the first time in middle school.  I get why this book was written; however, the execution feels a bit dated and cheesy. This book was written in 1971 - or should I say "diary was found" since we're supposed to be reading this under the assumption that this is a real diary from a real teenager - but the dialogue and pacing just feel off at points even for the target audience being older kids/young adults. The book definitely goes for shock factor with all the terrible things the main character does while on drugs and while maintaining her high, yet it almost borders on unrealistic at points. I think the most egregious thing for me was the epilogue ending that completely undoes any progress that had been made without any hope for rehabilitation or even explanation. Also, the handling of sexual orientation was not great at all. It kept popping up that drugs were the sole reason for anyone to question their sexual orientation and gender identity which is just a wild claim that gets glossed over. (Maybe this was to just hint at how naive the main character was, but since the whole book is pretty much propaganda I kind of doubt that there wasn't an ulterior motive.) I did learn that there is a TV movie adaptation of this book so it will be interesting to see how that holds up in regards to the diary format we've been given. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Sexual harassment, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

lilacwhisker's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Eating disorder, Addiction, and Suicide

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, and Death of parent

Minor: Alcohol and Abortion

chemical_crash's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Cursing, Death, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Vomit, and Toxic friendship

mellyaimz's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.5

Despite the drug consumption and abuse - which has been largely contested in this "true account" - this is a heartbreaking and poignant narrative surrounding mental health of teenagers and specifically teenage girls. This resonates deeply as a coming-of-age story.

I wish Alice was able to live.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Sexual assault, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Eating disorder, and Violence

Minor: Trafficking and War