Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby

21 reviews

halfass_reviewer's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

A story about two grieving fathers trying to get answers about the deaths of their sons is not a story I knew I needed until I had it. (Despite it still taking me days to finish this novel) I couldn't put the book down. This is the kind of novel you read when you want to read about grief and how one person's personal beliefs can ruin relationships. I loved that the fathers, Ike and Buddy Lee, were constantly working through their homophobic ideology and it wasn't like "oh, all of a sudden our sons are dead and I no longer have a homophobic bone in my body." Their views about their sons and their son's lifestyle were constantly changing and getting better until the last page. I'm also glad that other minor characters in the book (friends/associates of the sons) frequently called both fathers out on their bullshit when the fathers tried to pretend they weren't the reason they didn't have a relationship with their sons. It was nice to see these friends still have Derek and Isiah (the sons) back even after their death. This was a great book and the only reason it didn't get five stars is because I had to read through all the racists and homophobic slurs. Also, Billy Lee repeatedly calling Mya (Isiah's mother) and some other women sis made me cringe and I wanted Mya to cuss him out so badly. Lastly, I knew he was going to die anyway (not the sons but another character) but he could've got one more future chapter first. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Torture, Murder, Racial slurs, Homophobia, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Infidelity and Terminal illness

thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, Murder, Racism, Racial slurs, Gun violence, and Violence

Moderate: Deadnaming, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, and Sexual harassment

doomluz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

 Brutal and action packed. I wish it had more about the sons, but it was still interesting reading about the fathers grappling with their homophobia and realizing that they should’ve been better to their sons and listened to them while they were still alive. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Transphobia, Death, Violence, Kidnapping, Car accident, Racism, Toxic relationship, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Alcoholism, Blood, Murder, Racial slurs, and Alcohol

ldruckreier's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Car accident, Child death, Deadnaming, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, Mass/school shootings, Outing, Murder, Racism, Transphobia, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Tough read but captivating

raynaaskiverr's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Murder, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Racism, and Violence

alistinexo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

 This book was a rough one, and i don't mean it was rough to read, i mean what happens throughout the book is rough. so glad i read it though.

i cried like a baby at the end when buddy lee died and ike was talking to him and the boys at the cemetery.

  this one really gets you thinking about how important it is to love your kids (or anyone) no matter what because they could be gone tomorrow and they need that love while theyre ALIVE, not when theyre 6 feet under. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, Death, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Racism, Violence, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, Car accident, Hate crime, and Kidnapping

sydneybedell's review against another edition

dark 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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Murder, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Deadnaming, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Transphobia, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Cancer

karachapp's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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: Gun violence, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cancer, Cursing, Deadnaming, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia

tinytrashqueen's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Hate crime, Murder, Gun violence, Violence, Gore, Transphobia, Torture, Sexism, Racism, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief

Moderate: Vomit, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Alcoholism, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Deadnaming

lorinew1's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Car accident, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Outing, Religious bigotry, Racism, Racial slurs, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, and Vomit