Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai

51 reviews

nukie19's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Drug use, Eating disorder, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Sexual violence, Blood, Child death, Rape, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Infidelity, Medical content, and Sexual assault

alisonvh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

5.0

This book is so good! It’s a great murder mystery, but it’s also so much more than that. It faces head-on the issue of girls and women hurt and murdered by men and how hard it is for them to get the protection they need when they’re alive or the justice they deserve when they’re dead.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Grief, Murder, Chronic illness, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Violence, Child abuse, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, and Physical abuse

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic and Car accident

magsbord's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Murder

Moderate: Gaslighting, Alcohol, Blood, Drug use, and Infidelity

Minor: Racism, Toxic relationship, Cancer, Classism, and Self harm

rachelle_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

I will read anything by this author. This is not your average mystery/thriller. A decades-old murder lies at the heart of the story, sure, but the author deftly explores adolescence and how we reflect on it in middle age, men abusing girls and young women, racism in the criminal justice system, and how  true crime media plays into all
of it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Murder, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Pedophilia, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Bullying, Racism, Eating disorder, Drug use, and Blood

kimveach's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.5

This book grabbed my attention from the start and held it through to the end.  I loved the story of a podcaster looking into her own school history of a murder of a classmate.  With her students attempting a podcast similar to Serial, she examines not only the original murder but also society as a whole in this Me Too age.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual content, Classism, Death, Infidelity, Medical content, Self harm, Drug use, Eating disorder, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Terminal illness, Pedophilia, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Cursing, Violence, Cancer, and Domestic abuse

mads_jpg's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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

4.25

As someone who isn't a big fiction reader, I probably would never have read this book if it weren't for my work book club, but I'm so glad I did. 

I'm also really skeptical about the true crime entertainment industry, so this book's take on the genre was incredibly refreshing. The author's frequent references to real life cases, and her deliberate choice to not name perpetrators and instead center the experiences of both victims and survivors was fantastic. This book left me angry at the injustice of the justice system and the microagressions that eventually lead to violence against women and people of colour. 

Overall, it was an insightful take on true crime as a form of entertainment, and my only real critique was that the ending left me somewhat wanting.

While I'd loved the use of "you" as this ongoing mystery, I was disappointed we never had any kind of climax/closure with Mr Bloch. And while I know in reality Omar would probably never get justice, I really hoped the book would opt for a happy ending for him. Lastly, the final chapter felt like an odd way to finish the story. Aside from Bodie reflecting on Carlotta's death, it just felt like a moment of pause before the actual ending, so I was genuinely surprised when I realised it was over.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Pedophilia, Cancer, Toxic relationship, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Drug use, Misogyny, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Bullying, Classism, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Racism, and Sexism

tharumi's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Racism

Moderate: Drug use

sambreenreads's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual violence

Minor: Alcohol, Drug use, and Eating disorder

deetabz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Pedophilia, Murder, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual harassment, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Abandonment, Sexual content, Racism, Self harm, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Grief, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Cancer, Classism, Eating disorder, Rape, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Death of parent, Body shaming, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Stalking

bootsmom3's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Gore, Sexual assault, Violence, Grief, Racism, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Body shaming, Death, Infidelity, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Rape, and Sexual content

Moderate: Eating disorder, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia

Minor: Self harm