Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami

17 reviews

ivansensacional's review against another edition

emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

2.0

This was a difficult one. While in general I enjoyed the book, I feel it tries to be more seriously than it should.

First of all, a lot of stuff dont really add to the plot. Halfway trough it, we learn that the protagonist was a used when she was a teenager. Its important but doesnt helps at all, Maybe Just shedding a little light about why she doesnt want sex. Or the part when he high School friend shows up of nothing and tells her she and her husband stoppdd having sex. Why include that?

Also, I didnt enjoy the long conversations between caracteres. They barely added anything to the plot and were inssuferable to go trough. If I wanted to read conversations ID read a script. 

This could have been a three stars but that end was awful!

Between drunk Hiriji metting the protagonist only to be mean to her, or Mitsuzuka not showing again and revealing he has been lying, it really ruined the sweet aura of the book. I wish I had stopped in the second to Last chapter.

The book goes between cozy and trauma without it really developing either of those. Its an easy read if you dont mind the long conversations but I personally wouldnt go back to it anytime. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism and Sexual assault

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Toxic friendship

sallyrooneystanclub's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Rape, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Bleak

ppp's review

emotional reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Alcohol

Moderate: Toxic friendship

Minor: Pregnancy

laurenleannereads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Fatphobia, Infidelity, and Toxic friendship

torismazarine's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Minor: Pregnancy

333amreen's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

The first half of the book felt REALLY slow paced (and it was!) but the latter half really caught me in (though it was just as, if not more slow) but what was different was the emotional connection I'd built with the characters! While this book can be found boring & uneventful by some (like past me) In hindsight, there's actually SO MUCH you can take from it if you you keep an open mind when reading this one, instead of constantly thinking "ugh, what's going on?" I now completely understand why someone on yt said it's a must read for when you're in your 20s. I COULDN'T AGREE MORE‼️

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol

chrisljm's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

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

2.0

I'm sure the mundanity and passiveness of the main character is important to the story, but I couldn't stand it. It was very frustrating to read how she interacted with other characters, but specifically her lack of response when communicating with them or the way she constantly repeated what they said. I also found the book to be dull and dry, and often times the monologues (particularly with one character) came off insincere and preachy. All the Lovers in the Night is described as "insightful, entertaining, and engaging; it will make readers laugh, and it will make them cry" but I strongly disagree. The storytelling was so overwhelmingly monotonous that I wasn't emotionally engaged at all. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Rape, and Alcohol

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual content, Vomit, and Grief

Minor: Pregnancy and Toxic friendship

soyboysimon's review against another edition

sad tense medium-paced

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

2.0

Didn't love this, I feel truly neutral about it. Its like i was reading only to get to the end of it. i didn't connect with any of the characters or their problems, the main characters troubles seemed self-inflicted, and I absolutely hate the way it talks about—or rather doesn't talk about—mental health.

The main character is dealing with a number of things,

anxiety, depression, alcoholism, an eating disorder, recovery from rape

, but they are presented as being normal parts of life that she has to conquer on her own, without help, before she can let herself be loved. Its sick and twisted to me, it wasn't good for me, I don't recommend it if you deal with any of these problems.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Rape, Vomit, Car accident, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

biobeetle's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism

Moderate: Mental illness and Toxic friendship

sleepyriv's review against another edition

reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

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

4.0

nothing hits as close to my heart as japanese literature about loneliness. at only 20 i feel my life heading in the same direction as fuyuko’s. the melancholy quietness of her day to day, and finding comfort in someone n not knowing what to do with it.

when mitsutsuka doesn’t show up on her birthday, i felt how painful that wld be, how hopeless the future wld feel knowing she’d be alone like that forever.

maybe i shld make some more friends, but who’s to say it wld make any difference?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Vomit and Car accident

Minor: Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship