Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Bully by Penelope Douglas

6 reviews

saoreads's review

dark emotional funny reflective sad tense 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

4.5

It's a big cliché and dramatic, which led to a plot story that really is predictable, yet that's on me as I wanted to take a breather from reading high fantasy books to school setting ones. What made a huge impression on me was Tate's monologue. I had to read that twice. That part was both soothing and painful because of the sort of way their friendship ended up. It felt like a last call and a voice indeed to express how she felt from the duration she was made to suffer over trauma dumping and incidents in school from bullying and pranks. It had a lot of messed up scenes to the extreme, but it was fiction for a reason. Anyway, that monologue definitely saved the book for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Violence, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug use, Grief, Medical trauma, and Sexual assault

itoriseva's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Violence, Child abuse, Medical content, and Sexual content

Moderate: Cancer, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Blood, Sexual harassment, Cursing, Death of parent, and Grief

Minor: Drug use

risse's review against another edition

dark emotional lighthearted mysterious medium-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

3.0

This is the first book I've read from Penelope, and this book saved me from reading slump. 

What I like: 

• - childhood friends to enemies to lovers
• - it's full of angst! 
• - secret pining
• - prolly one of the most likable female lead I ever read this year. Why? Oh, gosh, she can fight back to Jared's bullying. And the part where she chose to be vulnerable through her monologue? It was so good. 
• - steamy scenes. 

What I didn't like: 

• - romanticized bullying. I like this story, but (for me) severe bullying is not good, or hot. It should never be romanticized. 
• - Jared's reason. You can say it's valid, but—I DIDN'T GET IT. It's hard for me to sink that down in my mind. 
• - the scandal. Oh. My. Fucking. Gosh. It was utterly unnessescary, and how fast Tate forgive Jared?! It was a big nu-uh. 

Overall, I still liked this one. I'm excited to read the 1.5 book of this is Jared's POV! <3 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying and Child abuse

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Death of parent, and Drug use

karambit's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective slow-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

0.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Grief, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Infidelity, and Sexual assault

Minor: Lesbophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Vomit, Drug abuse, and Drug use

ajd64's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying

Minor: Child abuse, Cursing, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, and Violence

stephanieclarex's review against another edition

emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Violence, Sexual content, Rape, Physical abuse, Grief, Death of parent, Bullying, and Alcohol

Minor: Vomit, Drug use, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Addiction, and Blood

Some scenes with non-consensual touches and mentions of r*pe. Someone says the D slur.