Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Shark Heart: A Love Story by Emily Habeck

20 reviews

mxyfrzn's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Grief, Pregnancy, Chronic illness, Death of parent, and Dementia

Moderate: Blood, Domestic abuse, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, and Physical abuse

Minor: Abortion, Animal cruelty, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Rape, Animal death, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Suicidal thoughts

emilywemily6's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective 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

This was weird and intriguing and I couldn’t put this book down. I loved how the book has some theatrical scenes sprinkled in. I could really see how Lewis and Wren fell for each other, they loved each other so much. I loved the prose and the questions it brought up (explicitly or implicitly) about love, change, and terminal illness. While I appreciated Angela’s story, I wish it hadn’t felt so separate from Lewis and Wren’s story; it kind of took me out of the book a little, especially with how much time was spent on Angela’s life before Wren was born. Though by the end of that section I saw how it was all connected; I wish the author had taken a different direction in connecting these stories together. And I loved the ending but wanted more! I will think about this book for a long time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Pregnancy, and Grief

Moderate: Blood, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexual content, Abandonment, Pandemic/Epidemic, Animal cruelty, and Infidelity

tarynimwalle's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

My favorite book of 2023. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Grief

Minor: Animal death and Abortion

dcoul's review against another edition

emotional fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Chronic illness, Animal death, Abandonment, Grief, and Pregnancy

Minor: Abortion

carlyjb16's review against another edition

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Death, Chronic illness, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, and Grief

Moderate: Blood and Animal death

Minor: Pregnancy and Abortion

silversparkles50's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-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

Graphic: Grief, Medical trauma, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Blood

Minor: Death of parent and Pregnancy

rover_under's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful fast-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

4.5

This book is a much faster read than the page count suggests, owing to its unique style. Some scenes are written as screenplays or diary entries that extend to only one or two sentences per page. I enjoyed the book. It was heartfelt and its allegory toward illness and death felt impactful and was used well. 

I don't know if I have the life experience to evaluate the book in this way, but despite the absurd premise of the book, the subject matter was handled well.

One thing I was confused by is the author's choice to hide Wren and her mother's mutation until late in the book. I initially excused it as being part of the past self that Wren had chosen to leave behind, but Lewis seemed to know all of it, though I can't recall it referenced in the first part of the book when he's going though his metamorphosis. It felt awkward and strange to have not been told since I'd initially thought it was Wren hiding it from the other characters.

Otherwise I think it's a fantastic book with a very engaging style, and I would fully recommend it for anyone who felt comfortable with the subject matter discussed.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Dementia, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Animal death, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Abortion, Miscarriage, Misogyny, and Incest

jacquelynrovene's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

time4tori2read's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment

Minor: Drug use

amanda_mh's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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

5.0

This was by far the weirdest book I have ever read. While also being incredibly emotional and thought provoking. But strange very strange and I devoured this book 🦈 ♥️ 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Body horror, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Terminal illness