Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Out of Love by Hazel Hayes

39 reviews

jessicarose__'s review

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Miscarriage

kmcrossman's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

Graphic: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Infidelity

Minor: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, and Sexual harassment

loukate's review

emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

3.75

shitting, crying, reflecting

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Miscarriage, Addiction, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Infidelity, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Pregnancy and Grief

withlovejeans's review

emotional reflective sad slow-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

i’m combusting. IM COMBUSTING!!!!!!! i have been eager to read this book ever since its release was announced and i realized that my library did not have a copy. the book is a love story, told backwards; it starts after the breakup and traces the relationship all the way to their first meeting. i was at first curious to find out how the time jumps would be acknowledged, and was confused on the timeline during the first few chapters, but realized that hayes foreshadowed each next chapter cleverly. i really liked how i knew so much about the relationship yet so little about the people from the start. by the time i reached the end of the novel, i knew more about both characters than they knew about each other, yet all i could do is bite my lip and let things happen. all at once reflective, edifying, and truthful, “out of love” illustrates the natural demise of the modern relationship.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Mental illness

Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Emotional abuse, Blood, and Sexual violence

abbiemreads's review

reflective sad slow-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? It's complicated

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Suicidal thoughts

tddaffin's review

challenging emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual content and Sexual assault

sparetimereader's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

2.5

The story of a breakup, in reverse order. Starts when a young woman is packing up her ex-boyfriends things for him to move out after a 5 year relationship. She recounts their history together in an attempt to figure out where it all went wrong. 

This was recommended to me in the #12challenge, 12 books in 12 months recommended by 12 Friends. 

Unfortunately this one didn’t quite work for me. I feel like the writing was done very well, but the backwards chronological order was very confusing. I went into this book completely blind, and through it was just a non-linear timeline with flashbacks. Maybe if I would have known that going in I would have been less confused. 

Theo was terrible the entire time. Major red flags even during the scene when they met, can we talk about mama’s boy problems just to name one. 

The redeeming part of this story is definitely Maya, talk about friend goals! Everyone needs a friend (or five 😉) like her! And the main characters mother was just so kind, she would drop everything to be there for her when she needed her! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, and Miscarriage

absolute_bookery's review

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-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

4.5

This book felt so bloody close to home, I have never empathised with a narrator as much as I did with this one. Couldn't put it down I just loved it.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Alcoholism

skudiklier's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad 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 book was beautiful and heartbreaking and so emotionally true. I wondered how it would pull off taking you through a relationship backwards, from messy breakup to romantic meeting, but wow Hazel Hayes did it so well. After finishing it I went back and reread the first chapter just to feel it all over again, and notice all the little things I now had so much more context for. Out of Love is all bittersweet nostalgia and new perspectives, and I loved it so much. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Miscarriage, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Mental illness

Moderate: Eating disorder, Lesbophobia, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Xenophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Death, Biphobia, Grief, Gaslighting, Alcoholism, Vomit, Violence, Sexism, Pregnancy, and Car accident

Minor: Cancer, Medical content, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Racism, War, Child abuse, Suicide, Drug abuse, and Abortion

stellar_hunt's review

emotional reflective tense medium-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: Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, and Sexual content

Moderate: Infidelity, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Biphobia, Death, Infertility, and Religious bigotry