Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

91 reviews

cayleyreads's review against another edition

emotional funny informative medium-paced

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

4.0

I am LIVING for Ali Hazelwood’s backlist right now. This was unputdownable, the characters were so much fun and the science plot makes a rom com SO enjoyable. Bee was complex and interesting and so herself. Levi was such a lovely giant cinnamon roll of a guy. 

It was definitely a similar format & trope to The Love Hypothesis, and I wish we got a lil more of Levi’s backstory, but it gave me everything I was looking for right now. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity and Sexism

Moderate: Toxic relationship and Toxic friendship

Minor: Gun violence

readandfindout's review against another edition

funny lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

Style/writing: 3.5 stars
Themes: 4 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Plot: 4 stars

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism

Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Car accident and Death of parent

noellegrace8's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This is my 3rd Ali Hazelwood, and I loved the characters in this one. I felt like I could relate to them more than any of the ones I read previously, and they were more fleshed out. They were all kind of odd and interesting. I absolutely loved the humor Rocio added. And Levi was so much more real than Adam in Love Hypothesis, and they had better everyday chemistry. I appreciated that there was not another issue of inscrutability regarding the female lead trying to read the male lead. In fact, a lot of this book differed from how her others are, which was refreshing. But yeah, I was frustrated at times by Bee's lack of ability to see that this guy doesn't hate her. It became unbelievable at some point.

The premise is interesting and chapter headings are as clever as ever. I didn't like the way Bee treated Levi toward the end, but I was glad it got resolved quickly enough. Speaking of resolution, it gets almost cheesy at some point, especially with the protective cat, and the severe tension of the ending is uncomfortabbly unexpected. Plus the twitter subplot is built up so much with very little reward. But the epilogue was actually useful! Normally, I don't really see the point of prologues & epilogues, but this one was worth the pages.

I give Brooke Bloomingdale 5/5⭐️. She does the perfect narration.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing and Sexual content

Moderate: Animal death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Excrement, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Classism

idk_indigo's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.0

This was not as good as the other two books I've read of hers (Bride and The Love Hypothesis), but I still enjoyed it. I just really lowkey hated Bee, I thought she was just like the FMC from TLH but with even less of a personality. 

I feel like Ali Hazelwood knows how to write exactly 3 characters. The first is a quirky, weird side character and there's always something about her to add a little diversity. 
The second is a tall, smart, handsome white guy love interest with blue/green eyes and muscles for days. 
The third is (I'm fully assuming this because I actually don't know her in real life) herself. 

I appreciate it though, however, I do think the reason why I didn't love this as much as TLH is because this is the same book just slightly to the left and I read that one first so it's automatically better. I think reading a third one would be overkill and I will just flat out not like it. Like hearing the same joke 3x.

Also I hated the main villain,

the switch over was just too much and too sudden

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Sexual content

Moderate: Chronic illness, Gun violence, and Infidelity

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

madanxiety's review against another edition

3.0

This being my third Ali Hazelwood read, I think it's safe to say she has found her formula. For those who might not have read yet, I mean that the archetypes of her two leads are pretty much exactly the same every time. Ultimately, the similarity among all her books is more comforting to me than it is boring. I think most romance readers are attracted to the predictability and optimism of the genre, so I can't complain. It's like eating your favorite breakfast - one you've had hundreds of times in your life, and yet it sates you every time. Her formula isn't my ideal fantasy as a lesbian, lol, but I still find it entertaining. And hey, wlw got some rep in this book!

Aside from the wlw side-plot, this book did set itself apart from her other novels in 1-2 major ways,

the major way being that there is a GUN! Lol, I was not expecting that level of high-stakes. The other stand-out feature was that the smut seemed a tiny bit kinkier/dirtier than her other novels, specifically with a dom/daddy vibe. I'm glad Hazelwood didn't lean into that as much in the other novels that bigger age gaps/power imbalances.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual content

Moderate: Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

madisonthacker's review against another edition

funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, Mental illness, Suicide, Medical content, and Car accident

Minor: Abortion and Alcohol

ly555's review against another edition

funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Cursing

Minor: Gun violence, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Toxic friendship

amris's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Chronic illness, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

ksmith_23's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual content

Moderate: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

readyforit's review against another edition

funny hopeful informative lighthearted 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

4.0

4⭐️2.5🌶️ (several descriptive scenes)
I actually liked this book better than the love hypothesis, even though we still got a pretty clueless and cringey FMC and dark and broody MMC. This book covers grumpy/sunshine once again and also petite FMC/huge MMC. Bee is a brilliant neuroscientist (but clueless in love), who just got a dream job working with nasa. The only catch is she’ll be working with her former rival from grad school who hates her. Levi has actually been obsessed with bee since the moment he laid eyes on her. After a whole lot of miscommunication, bee and levi discover that they are both single and never actually hated each other, 😯shocker!! Will they be able to form a relationship and save their work project?

The reason I liked this better than her debut novel is because levi is much more forthcoming with his feelings and I can actually see the tension between the MCs. Even when he supposedly hated bee he was always there for her. He’s very much an “I’ll take care of it” and talks you through it kind of guy. I love him dearly.

We get a whole lot of Marie curie lore in this book so you should at least be interested in science before you pick this up. I don’t see myself rereading but I liked it overall. I also listened to the audiobook and it was good but was missing a male narrator with duet narration.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Medical content, and Gaslighting

Minor: Death of parent and Toxic friendship

She has a fainting disorder but it’s not really talked about in depth, just used as a plot device.