Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes

22 reviews

ellaticonstellation's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Hidden Bodies was sick, both in a good and bad way. Caroline, damn! You created something so believable I got scared. Haha! Character-wise, Joe had a funny and loud mind that I liked a lot. He was savage, and I loved it! He was also so problematic that it made me sad because of his shitty childhood. Joseph Goldberg was a waving red flag that attracted another red flag named Love. The irony! The murders were unforgivable for apparent reasons. I was not too fond of the fact that he thought people's lives were in his hands. (When he decided not to kill certain characters, as if they needed to thank him for not killing them) It was disturbing and disgusting. But overall, the story was compelling and fast-paced. 😎

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Police brutality, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abandonment, Alcohol, Bullying, Cursing, Infidelity, Murder, Racism, and Stalking

a_alves00's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Body horror, Cancer, Infidelity, Sexual content, Violence, Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Murder, Police brutality, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pregnancy, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

eureadthis's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, Violence, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Sexism

xfallenxnightx's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

Not as good as You, but still worth the read. Some lines in this book were so cringey that I had to walk away for a minute. Joe is a disgusting and unsettling character and hearing the story through his eyes gives me the creeps, in the best way possible. Over all, the fast paced nature of the story keeps you coming back for more. I’m excited to read the next book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Murder, Misogyny, and Gaslighting

brookey8888's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious medium-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

4.0

I actually really enjoyed this. I went into it nervous because a lot of people didn’t like this one. I get that it changed from second person to first person, but I honestly didn’t mind it that much. I think the change was good because the first one was mostly stalking and this one wasn’t as heavily about that. I did enjoy the characters. The plot was fine like did I really care about Joe and Love being in love,no, not really. But I just find Joe so interesting. It does end on a cliff hanger so be warned. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Outing, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Violence

liz_ross's review against another edition

dark reflective tense fast-paced

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

2.75

Let's put it simple. This book is pointless. You ended perfectly for the kind of book it was; a dark, not completly closed end that left you wondering and I loved it for that. And then Kepnes decides to write Hidden Bodies, trying to add more to a plot and a character that had nothing else to give - they had already been perfectly explored.

The strong advice about the dangers of social media? Lost. It had no impact, because it had already been done. The joy of meeting Joe and getting the chance to be inside his twisted mind? Lost. Joe had given everything he had in the first book, there was nothing new about him and that's exactly what I got - nothing new, just more deaths, revenge, stalking and a toxic obssession to a girl that is nowehere near love.

There was just nothing new and I think Kepnes ended up realizing that as well because for a while all she did was ramble without really adding anything to the plot. It's good Kepnes managed to keep a good pace that allowed the story to flow, otherwise I would still be reading it - and chances are I wouldn't finish it before the end of the year.

And whereas the lack of normal characters was tolerable in the first book, because everything was new and Joe's charm would make up for pretty much any negative thing, it was not tolerable in the second, where Joe is no longer new. Why can't anyone be normal?! Amy has serious issues and I wouldn't be surprised if she was diagnosed with kleptomania, Milo's attempt to win Love back is twisted and wrong in too many ways. Forty should have got himself into therapy. And Love has serious problems and anyone who doesn't see that has problems as well. With characters like these, it's not a surprise you ended up rooting for the psycopath, who in the end of the day is the saner among them.

Full review coming soon!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Stalking

Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use

Minor: Animal cruelty

sanhatiser's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Car accident, Gaslighting, Gore, Kidnapping, Medical content, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Violence

tatiannaskye's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Hoooooolllllllyyyy shit! This book took me through a roller coaster of emotions and made me have a deeper understanding of Joe and actually quite like him compared to the other characters in this book. To say I was pissed off with all the assholes he encountered would be (sadly) an understatement! Even though Joe himself is a narcissistic, antisocial sociopath I still am on his side (for now at least).

But anyways this book surprised me as I didn’t quite enjoy the first book of the You series. First book sucked, second book now has me buying the third book and hopefully it is just as good, if not better than the second and first combined! Ahhh can’t wait!! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual content, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Death

Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use

Lots of Murder and sex, pretty much some sit up at this point. Oh! And stalking too.

jbells7's review against another edition

dark 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual content, Stalking, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Drug abuse

aeai's review against another edition

dark sad tense

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

1.0

Honestly, just watch the series instead. They had to add so much plot and character development in the series, not to mention depth to the female characters and just any representation of non-white characters... It's not even funny. Also (still) bothered by the misogynistic voice of the narrator, I really don't like internalizing this toxic stuff by reading it. Having seen the second season of YOU, I powered through in hopes of getting to any kind of interesting turning point, but I ended up very disappointed. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence