Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias

13 reviews

shiftycow1313's review against another edition

I knew based on the description that this book was going to be dark, but it is DARK DARK DARK. I'll try to pick it up again someday when my head is in a better space.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Racism, Classism, Cursing, Blood, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Murder, Torture, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Medical trauma, and Physical abuse

cbushwrite's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Please read this book. If you like suspense and supernatural horror, and as long as anti-heroes don't completely turn you off, this will be the best book you've read in a long time. One I will not forget.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, and Blood

Moderate: Cancer, Trafficking, Toxic friendship, Misogyny, Gun violence, Death, Gore, Grief, Colonisation, Violence, and Child death

englethebert's review against another edition

dark tense

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

3.5

Plods along in the middle but starts and ends strong. Characters are despicable interesting in their actions and interactions with one another, but struggle with internal growth

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Child death, Medical trauma, Violence, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Gore, Death, Racism, Cursing, and Body horror

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Deportation, Classism, and Drug abuse

Minor: Infidelity and Addiction

ate_nina_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

This book is not for the faint of heart!! Graphic and gory and overall disturbing, this is not a light read. Nevertheless, it is beautifully written with both poetic prose and highly sympathetic insights into one grieving and deeply troubled man's psyche (a tall feat, considering the acts that this man commits throughout the book).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cannibalism, Hate crime, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Murder, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Toxic friendship, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, and War

sophiaangela's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Medical content, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Death, Racism, Classism, Cursing, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Addiction, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Chronic illness, Cultural appropriation, and Murder

wyabook234's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Racism, Murder, and Gore

Moderate: Grief, Toxic friendship, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Minor: Domestic abuse and Child abuse

bookmark3brodi's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Blood, Body horror, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Bullying, Child death, Classism, Death, Gore, Pregnancy, War, Murder, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Cultural appropriation, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Grief, Cancer, Cursing, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic friendship, Misogyny, Violence, Addiction, and Chronic illness

victoriaharris001's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• 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: Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide attempt, Torture, Vomit, Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Addiction, Gaslighting, Gore, Trafficking, Transphobia, Violence, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Body horror, and Suicidal thoughts

princesstripsy's review against another edition

DNF’d which is rare for me. I’ve read two really bad books from BOM that I managed to suffer through but this one has compounded issues. The language jumps are a good idea on paper but hard to read. The violence and over the top and graphic substance and child abuse was where I officially called it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Physical abuse, Torture, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Drug use, Gore, Addiction, Blood, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

kermit_the_wrong's review against another edition

I really wanted to like this one but I think it just isn't for me. It left me feeling kind of sad and gross whenever I would listen to the audiobook, and not in a good way. 

I've heard it compared to This Thing Between Us, and I can see the similarities in how it explores grief, but it didn't have that same feeling of cosmic horror.

I do appreciate the themes of this book and the writing. I just don't particularly like the heavy feeling of it. I may go back to this at some other point in time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Murder, Pregnancy, Classism, Child death, Grief, Gun violence, Blood, Terminal illness, Violence, Gore, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Medical content, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, and Toxic friendship