Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno

13 reviews

caroisreading's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

More than a horror story, this is a love story laced with tragedy and grief. There are supernatural elements that make this a creepy, wild read, and an unreliable narrator who makes us second-guess what is actually happening. 

This book is written from the perspective of Thiago writing to his wife, the love of his life who lost her life to a random accident, only a few months prior. He is still processing his grief and anger, and we sort through his memories together. Then the creepy elements start to appear, like the Alexa-inspired speaker that seems to be haunted. Only Thiago, his wife, and his mother-in-law seem to witness these strange events. As he makes the move away from Chicago and this mysterious darkness, he realizes he's being followed. Layered within this is his in-between identity, being Mexican and American, feeling like he carries the ancestral curse of any family wrongdoings -- racism and the polarizing discourse on immigrants as background themes. 

For me, this story was bleak (rightfully so?) and unraveled in a messy way, continuously confirming there's only darkness in the end, "life is life." I think any comedic undertone got lost on me.

I was so excited to read a Chicagoan author's work, and really appreciated Gus Moreno's writing style -- sparse enough to read with ease, but decorative and meandering where it needed to be. 

You'll like this if you're into horror and supernatural concepts, bicultural perspectives, stories that reflect grief and loss of loved ones.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Gore, Self harm, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Medical content, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

inkylabyrinth's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gore, and Animal death

Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, and Suicide

Minor: Drug use

hi_its_micah's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Animal death, and Death

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Car accident, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Deportation and Drug use

kassiebee's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

grief, loss, family, and a some pretty cool mexican supernatural elements. 

i was creeped out, my heart was heavy, i was taken to another world.. totally immersed, i finished this booked totally jaded. and i loved it. 

a bit slow in the beginning but with a purpose. i sensed the slow descent of his mental health, still with a possibility that nothing is really happening. until its not. 

im going to go watch some cartoons now ..

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Murder, Death of parent, Death, Gore, Grief, Body horror, Blood, and Alcohol

Moderate: Confinement, Cancer, and Medical content

Minor: Racism and Drug use

loupend's review against another edition

dark 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Body horror, Gore, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Deportation, Death, Death of parent, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Drug use

kermit_the_wrong'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? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I'm quite confident this will be my favorite book of this year. It's brilliant and sad and funny. I have never read a book that was so easily able to lull me into a false sense of security only to blow everything up in my face. Multiple times. The audiobook is amazing and I highly recommend listening to it over reading it. The narrator is wonderful and it just really adds some extra depth to the story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Gore, Animal death, and Body horror

Moderate: Animal cruelty

Minor: Vomit, Drug use, and Alcohol

opossumble's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective 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: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Grief, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Alcohol, Death of parent, Cursing, Medical content, and Gun violence

Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Deportation, Drug use, and Terminal illness

keenanmaree's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Violence, Vomit, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug use, Medical content, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicidal thoughts

kaylee1957's review against another edition

dark sad tense 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? No

4.5

An emotional heartbreaking and horrifying. Dark and delightful. Stephen King's Cujo esk moments. Literally had my heart racing. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Car accident, Suicide, Drug use, Gore, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Abandonment

ashlieinhinterland's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

trigger warnings:

suicide

gore
death
vegetative state
animal death

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Animal death and Death

Minor: Grief, Drug use, and Gore