Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Winners by Fredrik Backman

18 reviews

sbookreader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Bullying, Murder, Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Gun violence

Moderate: Addiction, Pregnancy, Classism, Cursing, Vomit, Blood, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Suicide, Child death, Chronic illness, Toxic friendship, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Rape

hmcbog's review

challenging dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad tense 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: Rape, Death, Gun violence, Murder, Sexual assault, and Animal death

Moderate: Homophobia

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

andrearuthelyn's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Murder, Gun violence, Grief, Death, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Sexual violence

audreywright's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

This whole series wrecked me. Backmans character building is like no other. He is an incredible author and this series made him my favorite. The topics are hard hitting but important and impactful. You will be challenged to rethink your perspectives and you will fall in love with Beartown and these characters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Sexual assault, Death, Sexual violence, Blood, Murder, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Outing and Self harm

tinytrashqueen's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Religious bigotry, Hate crime, Violence, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Rape, Homophobia, and Grief

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Vomit, Addiction, Sexism, Animal death, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, and Sexual harassment

haileyhardcover's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

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

5.0

The saga of Beartown comes to a tragic and triumphant close.

“This hurts too much to touch with words.”

I knew from the first page of The Winners that it was going to wreck me. I was not prepared. 

It took me over a month to read this book partially because work has been crazy and I haven’t had much time to read, but also because I was dreading the end of Beartown, saying goodbye to this town, these characters - especially one in particular. It was rough, but what a beautiful ride. Backman is my favorite for a reason. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Suicide, Medical trauma, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

Moderate: Gun violence, Rape, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Animal death, Addiction, Alcohol, Death, Drug abuse, Animal cruelty, Blood, Bullying, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Gaslighting, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Outing, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

booksmoviesandstories's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring sad tense slow-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Violence, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Gun violence, Domestic abuse, Death, Child death, Outing, Misogyny, Hate crime, Fatphobia, Drug abuse, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Rape, Vomit, Suicide, Sexual violence, Car accident, and Blood

ebrinkley's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Rape, and Gun violence

Moderate: Car accident

Minor: Homophobia

j3ss1's review

dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad slow-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

4.75

Loved it and hated it in equal measure, loved it because of how emotionally wrecked it left me. Hated it for the same reason!
It speaks to how beautifully written it is and how well the characters are brought to life that I didn't get tired of the slow pace, I was hooked. I was also completely sobbing by the end. I really enjoyed having Hed characters who allowed us to see Beartown and the events of the last two books through a different perspective both in terms of how these new characters experienced those events and showing a comparison to other people's similar but different stories.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Mass/school shootings, Rape, and Death

Moderate: Murder, Animal death, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Religious bigotry, Stalking, and Sexual violence

Minor: Drug abuse, Abandonment, Addiction, Drug use, Car accident, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, and Suicide

livcanread_'s review

emotional tense

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

4.25

this book was probably my least favorite in the series but nothing can fucking top that ending ever 

the way the fucking Bangbangbangbang came full circle was so fucking brilliant but also disgusting the second i saw it i lost it and continued to lose it for the rest of the book. fredrick’s writing was so fucking haunting during that whole section; exhibit A: “This hockey game will never be played, and for many of us it will feel as if we never really emerge from the ice rink. We will be stuck in the nightmare forever. We are a people who tell stories, who try to use stories to put what we have experienced into some sort of context, to explain what we have been fighting about in the hope that it will excuse what we have done. But stories reveal both the very best of us and the very worst, and can one ever outweigh the other? Are our triumphs greater than our mistakes? What are we responsible for? What are we guilty of? Can we look ourselves in the mirror tomorrow? Can we look each other in the eye? No. Not after this.”i’m still grieving but sure i’ll try to review this i guess. i really liked johnny and hannah’s family and seeing bobo and tess was really cute and loved it. didn’t really care for like the stuff with richard theo and tails about all the shady stuff the club has done i just didn’t care for it i guess.
i Loved everything done with Matteo. i think he was a brilliant reflection of Leo/Maya and their family and beautifully exemplified the differences between them and i think fredrick got his point across excellently. i love that after everything fredrick still reminds us as readers that things could’ve been so different for Matteo. it’s not our place to decide if he’s justified or if people can ever really be forgiven for the horrible things they’ve done. but the story was never about him anyway. and i hope alicia ovich (fictional character) has the best life anyone can offer her

haven’t ever cried so much at an ending since The Poppy War maybe? however.. “though you'll cry, your heart is safe in [Backman’s] hands."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Toxic relationship, and Rape