Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

The Clown in the Cornfield by Adam Cesare

15 reviews

riflelizards's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

2.75

heavy handed but otherwise enjoyable

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Gun violence, Violence, Death, Death of parent, and Blood

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and Fire/Fire injury

applerose301's review against another edition

funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

Moderate: Cursing, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Death of parent, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

kikis_a_book_wh0r3's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

This was a really good story. Adam Cesar definitely keeps you on your toes and gives an amazing anxiety ridden tale of small town folks going crazy. Ultimately I feel like this would be a plan that MAGA would try to pull. Scary to think about. Its genocide but kept local? Lol I love that the ending sets it up for a sequel in true movie ending form!! A perfect nod to the classic slasher films. The audio performance was great as well! Definitely going to be checking out 2 & 3!!! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Gore, Mass/school shootings, Genocide, Body horror, Confinement, Gun violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Violence, Grief, Police brutality, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, and Bullying

kups's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted tense fast-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? No

4.0

A cheesy slasher book.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Misogyny and Suicidal thoughts

jackieyvette's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense fast-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

4.5

I've been on a little horror binge all month and came across this title on a TikTok video comparing it to slasher movies and I got to say this one is sitting pretty up there with the best of them. It was fast and fun and everything you need a high school slasher. The characters are believable and relatable and are people you knew in high school, too. I don't know too much about small town life, but I gotta say this one sounds a lot like what I know it to be like; battle of the generations. 
Cole and Quinn are great leads and the way their stories moved was great to read, even back ground characters were very compelling and it was sad to see some of them die

especially Tucker and Janet

. 
I heard it's getting made into a show/movie and I can't wait.


Crying score: nah.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Violence, Vomit, Stalking, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Murder, Blood, Child death, Death, Suicide, and Torture

Moderate: Drug abuse

vixenreader's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

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

4.25

If you like slashers and mean-spirited murder, this is the book for you. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Gun violence, Blood, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Genocide, Grief, Toxic friendship, and Violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Bullying, Body shaming, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Police brutality, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Animal death, Classism, and Drug abuse

Be careful. This book is not for the faint of heart.

voidcrawler's review against another edition

dark funny 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? It's complicated

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Gore, and Blood

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Death of parent, and Kidnapping

Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Cursing, Drug abuse, and Toxic friendship

ravenpuff's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, and Murder

Moderate: Police brutality and Alcohol

Minor: Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Cancer, Drug use, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship

bookishgoob's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Torture, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Classism, Abandonment, Bullying, Car accident, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Medical content, and Mental illness

house_of_hannah's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

3.0

This book is a bit of a rollercoaster. I absolutely do not care about the first 100 pages, and found it to be quite boring and cliché. I was not expecting to be 1/3 of the way into the story before anything happens. But when it does the story absolutely takes off. 

I was quite invested in the next 100 pages of the book. The murders were just stacking up one after another. I did not realize going into this that everything happens in just one night, so we jump from 0 to 100 instantly. For that last 1/3 though it just started to go downhill again. After we start having some reveals I'm just left thinking, "Really ? This is what we're going with ?". 

When the plan is all laid out for us it's actually laughable. The culprits are truly some of the dumbest antagonists I've ever come across, and honestly, I think that's done on purpose.

It truly felt like a repeat of the January 6th insurrection at the US capitol, down to the fact that people were caught because of their phone's GPS.

The only likable characters here are Quinn's dad, and maayyyybe Quinn herself. I find her to just mainly be an observer though; almost like a self insert for the reader or something. She never really has a chance to show her personality, so we never get to know her.  

Essentially this book is

what would happen if you were trapped in a town where the MAGA crowd was murdering teens who annoyed them.

AKA my worst nightmare. 

Overall this is a book where I greatly enjoyed the parts that were good, but really disliked the parts that weren't. I will probably skip the sequel. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Murder, Violence, Gun violence, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Drug abuse, Death, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Cursing

Moderate: Addiction

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Vomit