Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

All's Well by Mona Awad

19 reviews

soggymcflurry's review against another edition

4.75

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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This authors writing style is very interesting and addicting. This book was slow and difficult to read at times. The parts of the book that are real representations of life are depressing and challenging. The parts that are creative and mysterious are disturbing enough to make you read on. There’s a lot to unpack and think about. 

Miranda’s descent includes a lot of stuff I didn’t care much about and struggled to connect to the story, and the end of the book was confusing at first. But overall a great read, especially for the chronically ill, the women filled with anger, people who have a small piece of them who desire revenge for the way the world has treated them, or fellow theater nerds.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Drug use, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship

Minor: Cursing

abeavs's review against another edition

4.0

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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More people should be talking about this book!!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship

amandaraemor's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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An intense, spiraling descent into the ways pain contorts our minds and bodies, and the ways in which the medical industry profits off of that pain. Miranda is definitely not a “good” person by any means, but you also can’t 100% hate her when seeing firsthand the abuse she suffers, major and minor, from every doctor or therapist she attempts to ease her suffering. Both the plot and characters are given more dimension through the two Shakespeare plays — All’s Well That Ends Well and Macbeth — that sit at its center, to the point where Miranda may as well be the tragic hero instead of the resourceful heroine she once portrayed on stage. I could write a whole thesis on the theater references alone!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Fatphobia, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship

hauntedantiqueshop's review against another edition

3.75

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

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Hmm. Odd. But I don’t know enough about All’s Well That Ends Well to dispute this. I will say that I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style. Lots of repetition and also no one says another persons name that often when speaking to them?? “Hello, Miranda! Miranda, are you okay, Miranda? That’s so weird, Miranda. You’re limping, Miranda.” SHUT UP??

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Murder

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Medical content, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship

Minor: Body horror, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail

ellen_is_reading's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Blood, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Alcohol

Incredibly weird and witchy.

rrrose's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Mental illness, Misogyny, Medical content, Medical trauma, Alcohol

Minor: Blood, Grief, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Abandonment

talis_turner's review against another edition

4.5

dark funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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There are sexual elements to this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Medical content, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting

Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship

Minor: Injury/Injury detail

biobeetle's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional funny informative reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship

Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Abandonment, Alcohol

Minor: Child death

noshinbean's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark funny reflective tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexual content, Blood, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, Alcohol

sakisreads's review against another edition

3.5

challenging dark tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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I was thrilled by Mona Awad’s ‘Bunny’ so I thought I would be into this one.

Very bizarre, very intriguing storyline! I didn’t know Shakespeare’s ‘All’s Well’ play at all but could still read Awad’s story. It wasn’t my favourite out of her stories, however I was still HOOKED into this Faver/Miranda dynamic and the way in which women’s pain is always belittled and ignored 😳 ‘Maybe it’s all in your brain’ lit a fire under my ass and made me rage 🔥

3.5 out of 5 stars for me on this one 🥹 Thank you!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Drug use, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Toxic friendship