Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

35 reviews

ellaticonstellation's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

Damn! This book hooked me. It was written in a way where I craved for more. Highly addictive to say the least. I couldn't stop reading. This is my third book from Freida and I thoroughly enjoyed this one more than the other two. Nina and Millie were both smart women who fell for the wrong guy. Good thing Enzo helped out. I thought he was undercover or something. Lol. God. It turned so dark, I had chills. Men like Andrew disgusted me. Who does that? Oh, one thing I wasn't crazy about was the police turned out to be Andy's ex's father. It was a bit too coincidental. But oh well, because of him, the women were free. Dear Cece will never be punished by a monster. The abuse stopped when he died and he turned that way because of Evelyn, his mother. And Millie's mission to help more women continues to the next book. I can't wait to read more. Thank you, Doc. (I heard in a book group on Fb that she's a doctor)✨

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Death, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Medical content, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Medical trauma, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Torture, Abandonment, Child abuse, Infertility, Drug use, Mental illness, Self harm, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Violence

goldensisyphus'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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Very well done and enthralling, but I had some trouble reading this book. Warning for those who have been through abusive relationships and/or been subjected to gaslight games. None of these characters are likeable except maybe Enzo... But it works.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Domestic abuse, Police brutality, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Confinement, Infertility, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Murder, Rape, Torture, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Violence

loudo's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Body horror, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, Death of parent, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexism, Excrement, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Death, Toxic relationship, Blood, Confinement, Cursing, Self harm, Suicide, Fatphobia, Gore, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Classism, Abandonment, Medical content, Murder, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Mental illness, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infertility, Torture, and Vomit

Minor: Deportation, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

craizydaizy1014's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Violence, Torture, Murder, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Gaslighting, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, and Rape

Minor: Vomit and Toxic friendship

hmwoodward's review

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

The first book club selection of the year went by fast! The book starts at the end and you are left to try and piece it together before it is all over. You definitely are led to believe the story will take you one way and then it takes you another. I don't want to spoil it, but it doesn't go exactly how I anticipated it would at the start.

Was this the best book I'll read this year? No. But I definitely enjoyed the ride and would recommend it to others (who are ok with the large number of content warnings applied here).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Torture, Physical abuse, Mental illness, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Vomit, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Fatphobia, Eating disorder, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Excrement, and Gore

Minor: Death of parent

hue's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

Can I say I'm disappointed when I did not except a thing?

I liked the ending, however

I'm tired of reading thrillers that end up being about horny women bedding someone's husband.

The build-up wasn't great and the twists didn't work because there was barely any clues to begin with. Lack of information does not make a twist great. Poorly done.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Infidelity, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Forced institutionalization, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Body shaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Rape

itsmaryssae's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Confinement, Fatphobia, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Toxic friendship

ivanagrimm's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Torture

cartermon4's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Murder, Toxic friendship, Torture, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Death, and Confinement

Moderate: Vomit and Blood

Minor: Bullying and Alcohol

fink1129's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I typically look at a list of trigger warnings and have no concerns. I went in blind and ooofff, I was uncomfy! Such an incredible book, twists and turns, I was on the edge of my seat from the start!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Murder, Child abuse, Death, Confinement, Toxic relationship, and Torture

Moderate: Toxic friendship and Child abuse

Minor: Infertility, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Bullying, Medical content, Blood, Cursing, Deportation, Gore, Grief, Vomit, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, and Stalking