Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai

20 reviews

reggiekred's review against another edition

challenging mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, and Suicide attempt

goodin10tions's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-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

2.5

This book deals with many subjects, probably too many. Principally memory. Our principal character attempts to remember traumatic incidents at her school. I don't really enjoy an unreliable narrator story. This book gives off Gone Girl vibes. Having said that, It was interesting enough that I endured 14 hours of meandering musings on what it was like to be a teenager in a exclusive prep school, to find out the ending.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Grief, and Suicidal thoughts

addie's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Domestic abuse, Violence, Bullying, Death of parent, Child death, Sexism, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, and Abandonment

Moderate: Rape, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, Suicide attempt, Eating disorder, and Classism

Minor: Self harm, Stalking, and Cancer

rlinnyc's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Death, and Gore

Moderate: Classism, Fatphobia, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Eating disorder, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Physical abuse, Racism, and Sexual harassment

kimveach's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious reflective 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

4.5

This book grabbed my attention from the start and held it through to the end.  I loved the story of a podcaster looking into her own school history of a murder of a classmate.  With her students attempting a podcast similar to Serial, she examines not only the original murder but also society as a whole in this Me Too age.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual content, Classism, Death, Infidelity, Medical content, Self harm, Drug use, Eating disorder, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Terminal illness, Pedophilia, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Cursing, Violence, Cancer, and Domestic abuse

cassielaj's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

Absolutely riveting! This is a fascinating take on a “literary thriller,” with a propulsive storyline and thought-provoking social commentary. I’ve been thinking about this book since I finished it three days ago. There are so many things I enjoyed about this, but the author’s craft choices were my favorite part. From the beginning, I was totally hooked on the narration style — Bodie addresses a specific listener and tells her story throughout the book as though he is the listener. There was also a repetition of lines about crime victims that could’ve been straight from headlines throughout, driving home the book’s commentary on victims, true crime, violence against women, and more.

this is sort of not a spoiler, but still, the chapters throughout that rehashed the murder as committed by each suspect were so effective!!!

I could say a million more things about this book (and might), but you should really just read it for yourself. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Grief, Stalking, Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Drug abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

lizzys_mind_palace's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Cursing, Eating disorder, and Alcohol

Minor: Abandonment and Rape

painausten314's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Racism, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Child death, Death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Eating disorder

readswithcocktails's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense

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

3.0

I am still not sure whether I loved this book or thought it was just OK. 

I love an unreliable narrator, but I'm always annoyed by vigilante detectives. I mean, ACAB and all of that, but it also never works out when people decide to take matters into their own hands. Do I keep reading books with amateur sleuths? Yes. But I'm continually annoyed.

In spite of the fact that I think (and hope) I have my shit more together than Bodie, I felt a lot of kinship toward her. Weird, fat (although, I can't decide if Bodie was fat or just was dealing with some dysmorphia) music/theater kids in the 90s. We both dealt with the casual cruelty of a certain subset of 90s teen boys, and the casual (what we'd now call) assault and harassment that they'd engage in. Absolutely visceral reactions toward the stories that came out during the #/MeToo movement. In spite of all of that, it felt like something was missing from her as a character. I know her single-mindedness was part of the point, and I can't really put my finger on what I thought was missing.

The story was well constructed, alternating between the present and Bodie's flashbacks. I felt like the final section dragged. I was also never sure what the book was trying to say about power, sex, and relationships. It touched on the grey areas, with it's subplot about accusations against Bodie's ex husband, but I'm not sure what it's trying to say about them. Bodie grapples with it a bit. And maybe the point is that there are no easy answers. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Adult/minor relationship, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Eating disorder, Murder, and Sexual assault

sarahsbookss's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Alcohol, Death, Blood, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Grief, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Violence