Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney

51 reviews

sixtinelys's review

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad fast-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

5.0

I devoured this book. I just love Rooney’s writing so much, her very direct descriptions, her dialogs. Especially the dialogs. My heart ached vividly while reading, here writing brings me to tears often, or makes my laugh audibly. It’s sometimes difficult to read, like her other novels, because it disturbs me, but in a good way. I was a little taken aback by the email parts at the beginning, but I ended up liking them actually. It made me want to reread her other books.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, and Mental illness

Moderate: Alcohol

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship

stephe's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

4.0

I WISH I knew millennials who wrote emails like this. 

 

I didn’t expect to enjoy this as much as I did, but I’m so glad my expectations were upended. Rooney writes with such generous, close observance, deftly threading the needle between ironic distance and saccharine melodrama. It’s not hard to care for the weirdos in this novel, even as they sometimes seem bent on their own crumbling. Also, as a person of faith, kind of fun to see some cool Christian representation—something almost as rare in the real world as it is in literary fiction. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Toxic friendship

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic

a_rash_read's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Vomit, Toxic friendship, Pandemic/Epidemic, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Drug use, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

ginaajoee's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Self harm, Abortion, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Alcoholism

plumdustsuns's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

2.0

I HATED Felix so much. Maybe I still do. I actually had to stop reading because his abusive, manipulative, putting down behaviour triggered me so much. And then he sort of did an 180 after the party and I was like… hmm… was he being cruel to avoid his own feelings then? But still does that mean we excuse him? I don’t know. I just think Alice deserves better (much like that fan she mentions by the end, haha). And it seems like he has improved but… 😡
I like Simon, I believe, but Rooney’s choice with the age gap with him and Eileen made me SO UNCOMFORTABLE. Yes, they’re both older now but it was insinuated that he had these feelings since she was young even though he didn’t act on it. 
I’m not sure if I feel the best towards Eileen, though. While I understand her, she also undermined Alice’s work and mental health a lot and I don’t think that was fair or nice of a friend to do. Especially as someone who’s also in the literary field, it’s a little hypocritical.

 
But I’ve liked reading Rooney’s work so far (just read this and Normal People though). I like how she is able to portray the everyday life and the ‘seemingly mundane’ as dramatically and importantly as it feels. The ending of this felt a lot better and less sterile than that of Normal People’s (the book, at least). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Pandemic/Epidemic, Toxic relationship, Classism, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Suicide, and Toxic friendship

abbywriwri's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

I love this author’s writing she writes character’s personalities so well. There is a sharp exact way to her writing even when she is writing about emotional topics she stays exact and succinct. I loved the characters and their flaws and personalities. I enjoyed the book but felt the ending was so sudden. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Panic attacks/disorders, Classism, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, and Drug use

clairew97's review against another edition

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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Pandemic/Epidemic, Drug use, and Emotional abuse

ellaford's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective 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

This is my favourite release from Sally Rooney yet. The way this is written gives so much yet leaves so much for interpretation, and her magic with describing emotional complexities we all feel is just amazing. This book is funny, dark, sexy, reflective and a great commentary on the state of the world. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Mental illness

Moderate: Self harm, Biphobia, Classism, Toxic friendship, Pregnancy, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Self harm, and Adult/minor relationship

nataliem_98's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

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

4.75

A beautiful dive into relationships, friendships, mental health and everything that goes along with them. Flawed and sometimes toxic characters stumbling through messy lives and loves, but ultimately helping eachother figure out who they are. Easy to read, not for lack of style. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Alcohol and Alcoholism

iluvmycats12's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.5

Really great book to read if you are struggling with any form of relationships in life; it is very reflective. The characters are insufferable however also lovable at the same time? 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and Toxic friendship