Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Skim by Mariko Tamaki

24 reviews

dhritigupta's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

“I think everything you do and everything people do to you leaves a mark, or at least it affects who you are.”

i wish the part of the story where things start to look up for kim was longer! still, i think the book captured the heaviness of being a teen in a nuanced way and i liked the wiccan/90s toronto backdrop.

i kept waiting for the trauma of a teacher-student relationship to be addressed more significantly, and i don’t think that really happened 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Toxic friendship, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Fatphobia, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, and Homophobia

itsjadenbaby's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• 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

2.5

This was a very quick read. Lots of triggers but an honest portrayal of how it may feel to be young and not know what’s going on.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Suicide, Mental illness, and Grief

Moderate: Body shaming, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Bullying, Toxic friendship, Xenophobia, and Racism

Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Alcoholism

queerandtalkative's review against another edition

4.0

CW: pedophilia: grooming, adult/minor relationship. Fatphobia, internalized misogyny, toxic friendships, ableism. Topics around suicide.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Suicide, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Gaslighting, Homophobia, and Fatphobia

Minor: Self harm

leni's review against another edition

medium-paced

1.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Bullying, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Suicide

includes student/teacher relationship

afternoonlight's review against another edition

emotional slow-paced

3.0

nice depiction of a lonely girl in high school. would like a sequel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Toxic friendship

olicavanna's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Fatphobia and Racism

Minor: Alcoholism

moonchildjuli's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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

Moderate: Alcohol, Death, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Lesbophobia, Racism, Suicide, Mental illness, Stalking, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

leonineliterature's review against another edition

hopeful reflective relaxing slow-paced

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

3.0

The art is really gorgeous! I highly recommend it for anyone who likes graphic novels for their artwork. The story is a calm little narrative about a LGBTQIA+ youth who struggles with loneliness and, I think, disordered eating. Though this is never put into words, the drawings speak for themselves. The text and drawing are sometimes contradictory but in a way that makes sense because of the diary format. Skim is obviously an unreliable narrator of her own life. She is very judgemental but that's just part of being a 90's-teenager immersed in the whole "I'm not like the other girls"-culture.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Classism, and Racism

Moderate: Eating disorder and Toxic friendship

Minor: Suicide

anniefwrites's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

I really, really enjoyed this. It feels like My So-Called Life (which I love) meets The Craft (which I haven't seen, but I feel like I get the vibe.) I love the subtlety of both the art and the text. It would be sort of hard to explain what the plot is, but I really understand the character's inner journey, which is my favorite kind of book. Finding your ways between the poles of ignorance and nihilism in your teens is no small subject matter, but Mariko and Jillian Tamaki really nail it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Grief, Suicide, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Fatphobia, Homophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

fsethompson's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-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: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Mental illness

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, and Suicide attempt