Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha

12 reviews

daniellekat's review

reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.25

This was the definition of OK. I didn't hate reading it, but nothing about it was particularly compelling. The author made some strange choices in the writing and structure of the book (i.e. no Sujin POV, ending the book mid way through the cycle of character POVs, so many odd paragraph breaks, etc.) I thought the general content of the book was interesting, especially since I'm far removed from South Korean culture, but I felt like Cha was trying to cover too many topics. As a debut the writing was solid, but the overall book could have been more tightly edited. The open-ending makes me wary of recommending this but I'd probably pick up Cha's writing again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Sexism, Alcohol, Misogyny, Classism, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Pregnancy, Grief, and Vomit

Minor: Death of parent, Miscarriage, and Suicide

sex work

aubigney's review

dark sad slow-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

1.0

I found this book extremely depressing to the point that I couldn’t finish it. I got to the sex worker’s affair and simply stopped reading. It was like everything good in life had been taken away from me. She was also extremely drunk and blacking out when the affair started, which makes me think the author is normalising sexual assault and passing it off as simply an affair instead of someone taking advantage of a sex worker who is much younger. I don’t know why someone would write a book like this except that they themselves were extremely miserable and going through it. The prose was not good so it wasn’t worth finishing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Fatphobia, Eating disorder, Alcoholism, and Infidelity

leannanecdote's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful reflective medium-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Drug use, Dysphoria, Fatphobia, Grief, Sexism, Infertility, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Eating disorder, Cursing, Blood, Classism, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Self harm, and Abandonment

sakisreads's review against another edition

emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

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

3.5

✨ Thrifted ✨

This book has a bit of a slow start so I wasn’t sure how much I’d get into it… But I’m glad I persevered! 
Based around Ara (a mute woman who works at a hair salon), Kyuri (a room salon worker), Miho (an artist whose move back to Seoul is fraught with relationship complications), Sijun (Ara’s protective best friend) and Wonna (the woman who lives in the apartment above the girls), this book had the resonance of ‘Girl, Woman, Other’. We explored beauty, family, feminism, and so much more!
I gave it 3.5 stars because it was, as mentioned above, a bit of a slow burner but once you got into it you couldn’t stop 👏🏼 

Some of my favourite moments included are below 👀

When Ara shoved that assistant Cherry’s head down the toilet, I somehow felt vindication for her 😂

I loved when Miho finally realised Hanbin was not the prince she needed and she was able to find power in her ‘cliché’ moments (e.g. Cutting off some of her hair, deciding to leak photos to the paps…) 🙊

I am also a huge fan of Korean food so all of their descriptors of kalgukksu, KFC etc. made me hungry 😅

Content warnings included below!
Thank you ✨

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Grief, Miscarriage, Body shaming, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Death, and Fatphobia

alicelalicon's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• 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: Medical trauma, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Classism, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Sexism, Medical content, Violence, Body shaming, Bullying, and Toxic friendship

doodeedoda's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Alcohol, Body shaming, and Cursing

Moderate: Suicide, Classism, Miscarriage, Sexual content, and Misogyny

Minor: Abortion, Ableism, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, and Adult/minor relationship

sydapel's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-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? It's complicated

3.5

Probably the most interesting book I read so far this month, particularly in the unique characterization of the five women who make up the novel. It's another book that offers a stark and often startling depiction of female friendship, this time through the lens of Korean culture. To me, the dialogue is where the book shines the most, how the conversations between the women exemplify the harsh, but also soft ways in which they care for one another. Where it loses me a bit is in the number of competing voices and a long wind up to a rushed finale. I would have ultimately liked to stay a bit longer in this world, even just to experience a bit of a cathartic end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Pregnancy, and Infertility

Minor: Suicide

vixenreader's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-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? Yes

3.75

It has a great commentary on beauty standards and gender politics for women in South Korea. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Body shaming, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cultural appropriation, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Sexism, and Sexual content

Moderate: Blood, Child death, Grief, Police brutality, Child abuse, Cursing, Death of parent, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Abandonment, Abortion, Bullying, Death, and Drug use

If surgery makes you queasy, be prepared for some stomach-turning scenes, and whorephobia is something to watch out for as well.

merries's review against another edition

emotional 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

4.0

This book had me in a chokehold for a while; each of the characters have their own struggles in South Korean society, and watching these women develop in a world shaped by beauty was interesting and intriguing. I do think the synopsis is a little misleading, especially in the case of Ara. Most of the time, I would not say she goes to “violent extremes” in her love with an idol. I do think also that Wonna is probably forgotten about around the halfway mark but then has more of a role towards the end. Personally, my favourite story was that of Kyuri’s: the complications of her clients at the room salon, and how her work shapes her life are really interesting aspects of the novel. I will say that, understandably with her job, she is very blunt and sometimes graphic in her NSFW descriptions, so if that is something you don’t like to read about this probably isn’t the book for you. Regardless, I loved watching these women develop and grow in South Korean society. The writing was also seamless and I felt each character had their own voice throughout. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Infidelity

Moderate: Abandonment and Toxic friendship

phobosm's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Infidelity, Sexism, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

Moderate: Suicide, Death, Violence, Child abuse, Ableism, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, and Fatphobia

Minor: Toxic friendship, Sexual content, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail