Reviews tagging 'Vomit'

The Return by Rachel Harrison

27 reviews

monstersinspace's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad slow-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

3.0

Spoilers: The story sorta meandered around a bit and only really picked up like 75% through the book. It was like the author wanted to write both a coming of age story about out growing friendships and how life changes, but hey also this girl might be a demon. It was well written and I liked the characters I just think some of it got lost in the interpersonal relationships which isn't necessaryly a bad thing, but I went in expecting a horror book and I'm not sure if it fully delivered on that.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Cannibalism, Death, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Gore, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Violence, and Vomit

traa's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Death, Murder, Mental illness, Alcohol, Grief, Cannibalism, Gore, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Body horror, Stalking, and Violence

Moderate: Car accident, Fatphobia, Vomit, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Ableism, Body shaming, Toxic friendship, Eating disorder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Racism, Bullying, and Xenophobia

lovesit1892's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

This book exceeded all of my expectations. After being drawn to the neon pink cover at B&N, I was surprised to read that the synopsis sounded similar to one of my favorite movies, Jennifer's Body, so I couldn't resist. I'm usually more of a gothic horror girl than contemporary horror, so I went into this book not knowing how much I would like it, but it blew me away. It is like Jennifer's Body, but somehow even more eerie.

There was a line in this book that gave me literal chills, and as a ghosty, ghouly, macabre-loving weirdo, that never happens to me while reading books. The small, blink-and-you'll-miss-them details that give a sense of something being "off" were so subtle and perfectly placed that it kept the creeping dread slowly escalating throughout the entire book. The setting felt so realistic--from

the try-hard, trendy/creepy boutique hotel to the dreary New England weather--that it was easy to imagine all of the absolutely unhinged occurrences actually happening.

I don't normally like dialogue driven books, especially centering around a young adult friend group like this one (the friendship dynamic usually feels forced and cheesy), but Harrison does a superb job of showcasing the individual voice and personality of each character. She really captures the emotions and growing pains that these women go through while navigating their friend's disappearance and subsequent "return," and the strain that it puts on their friendships. This is a great narrative on grief, friendship, growing pains, and social dynamics told through the lens of contemporary horror. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Eating disorder, Body horror, and Gore

Moderate: Vomit

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Cancer, Death of parent, and Stalking

moodreadererin's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Animal death, and Body horror

Moderate: Murder, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Vomit

Minor: Death of parent

kt2e56's review

dark mysterious tense slow-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

3.0

Unlike most of the other reviews, I actually didn’t mind the buildup before shot hits the fan. I think it adds a lot to the story and makes the characters feel real, still a little annoying, but real. Some of their questionable decisions make sense because we spent so much time with them. The horror elements really work once shit kicks off. The tension is thick. The creature design is great. I really dug it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking, Toxic friendship, Animal death, Blood, Gore, Body horror, Confinement, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Murder, Self harm, Violence, and Vomit

canthelpbutloveit's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Gore, and Eating disorder

Minor: Cancer, Vomit, Infidelity, and Death of parent

little102red's review against another edition

mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, and Infidelity

uhhlexiconic's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.5

The Return wonderfully balances horror with human grief and the right to move on.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Toxic friendship, Body horror, Violence, Animal death, and Blood

Moderate: Cancer

smahlcat's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I liked the friendships in this book. It felt like a group of close women who hadn’t seen each other in a long time but didn’t need to see each other to remain best friends. One of my biggest problems was the wasted potential of the setting. There were so many cool things that could’ve happened in the messily assembled themed hotel. But there was nothing. Not a thing. The story could’ve been transplanted anywhere and it would’ve stayed the same. Also, Elise’s major character flaw point was a personal NopeTrope of mine, but that’s my problem, not a problem of the book’s.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Eating disorder, Grief, Infidelity, Violence, Vomit, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, and Stalking

Minor: Cancer and Addiction

student/teacher relationship

wrestleacademic's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Alcohol, Body horror, Infidelity, Abandonment, Violence, Toxic friendship, Vomit, and Murder

Moderate: Racism and Ableism