Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

31 reviews

michaelion's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Heartbreaking in a way that makes you smile? Or maybe I'm just a little skewed. It's so real. The beauty of the writing style alone hooked me but the story? Too real.

There's a paragraph where mom is thinking about Lydia and how she can mold her future and everything her daughter is going to be that she couldn't and in the middle Hannah is mentioned, as mom is pregnant, and so quickly is she forgotten. She is sandwiched between Marilyn and Lydia, in story and in sentence, just barely acknowledged, but nothing more. That's only ONE example of the writing that had me hooked much earlier than that scene.

So painful. And despite everything that happens the family loves each other so much, in a bad, terrible, abusive and abused way, but as the title shows, none of them know how to tell each other that. None of them know how to be better to each other, but they all want to. I fucking love it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Abandonment, Racism, Racial slurs, Sexism, Xenophobia, Death, Bullying, Child abuse, Grief, and Infidelity

Moderate: Misogyny, Blood, Physical abuse, Body horror, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Outing, Alcohol, Suicide, and Vomit

microbemom's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

3.5

This is one sad family!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Racism, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Death, Racial slurs, and Sexism

Minor: Infidelity, Vomit, Sexual content, and Alcohol

vedpears's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

I think I have become a Celeste Ng fan girl now. The writing is beautiful and mesmerizing  - such great storytelling! I disliked every character except Nathan and Hannah (spelling? I consumed this book via audiobook). Narcissists all around. I recognized so many scenarios from my own family dynamics and those of my friends'. I find it interesting that some reviews I have read said these characters weren't believable. I whole-heartedly disagree with that sentiment and am certain that those reviewers aren't paying attention to others in their lives, are like one of the parents in the book themselves, or live very fortunately charmed lives. 

I think Celeste Ng does a great job threading context/ characters' histories into the current narrative. That story telling tool often irritates me but she does it so well that it doesn't feel like an interruption. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child death, Grief, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Racism, and Sexism

Moderate: Murder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Xenophobia, Suicide, Sexual content, and Pregnancy

Minor: Toxic friendship, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Alcohol, and Vomit

kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad 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

4.0

A novel about missed opportunities and words that were never said, this book is sad and thoughtful. It makes you question what you might do differently if the people you love were suddenly no longer here with us. Ng’s books are well-crafted — full of beautiful prose. I can’t wait for her newest novel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Racial slurs, Stalking, Child death, Xenophobia, Outing, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Classism, Suicide attempt, Racism, Infidelity, and Grief

salomee_felix_'s review against another edition

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Suicide, Child death, Infidelity, Grief, and Toxic relationship

bryelle's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

A girl goes missing and her body is found in a lake. Her family goes through grief trying to figure out what happened and coping with the lose of their loved one. 

This books has many themes of internal struggle. All the characters are going through their own journeys of what their lives are. 

Lydia, the girl who goes missing, wants to live up to her parents expectations. She pushes her self and only feels like she has her brother to support her. 
Nath, going away to Harvard soon, feels like he is in Lydia’s shadow. His father hit him when he is young and he can never look at him the same. 
Hannah, the baby that brought her mother back after she ran away to accomplish her dreams. No one pays attention to her, but she loves them all the same. 
Marilyn, wanted to be a doctor, but fell in love and got pregnant. She pushed her goals on her daughter Lydia. 
James, Asian man in a mostly white community. Always knows everyone is looking at him and his children.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Child death, Bullying, and Alcohol

Moderate: Outing

ktdakotareads's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, and Child death

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, and Infidelity

Minor: Racial slurs and Racism

atalea's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad tense 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: Emotional abuse, Child death, Xenophobia, Grief, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexism, Abandonment, Racism, Infidelity, and Racial slurs

Minor: Medical content, Alcohol, Bullying, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Violence, and Pregnancy

its_van_vulpen's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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: Suicide, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Bullying, Death, Grief, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Racism, and Xenophobia

sternentinte's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense 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: Toxic relationship and Infidelity

Moderate: Abandonment, Child death, Misogyny, Medical content, and Racism

Minor: Alcohol, Bullying, and Suicidal thoughts