Reviews with content warning for Toxic friendship - Normal People

i don’t really know how to rate this book, i think i went in with extremely high expectations of me coming out of this experience a changed person. at first i was struggling to really understand what the hype was about but then i did start to find it loveable. sally rooney is great at characterization and has some really standout quotes, several of them i wish i had never seen before.

i found myself really relating to connell so much, definitely might even be the fictional character out of everything i’ve ever read that is actually a representation of how i think and feel. i think thats my greatest takeaway from this book.

Still, he would lie down and die for her at any minute, which is the only thing he knows about himself that makes him feel like a worthwhile person.

Content Warnings

reemoony's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I think the main thing that drew me in from the beginning is the characters. I didn’t understand why it was called normal people until i actually read it. It’s because they are, genuinely, normal people. They have their flaws and their strengths and they suffer. Connell and Marianne aren’t written like characters, they are written like people. They go through their lives, drifting to and from each other. The love lasts throughout, which is such a human concept. When you fall apart from someone, the feelings and things you had and experienced don't just go away, they stay with you.

I also like how flawed they were. Connell was not a good person and neither was Marianne, and I refuse to believe otherwise. They had good characteristics and did good things, but overall they were not good, but in reality, no one is.

Also, one last thing. The lack of quotation marks is what made this such a good read for me. It felt more natural.

Content Warnings

kitty_reads_'s review against another edition

Go to review page

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? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I feel like I need to sit on this a while to make a final rating, but for now it’s 4 stars. I see this book as a window into people’s lives and relationships. It’s messy, but it feels like that was intentional since real life is messy. I feel neither character is written to make you feel a certain way about them. It’s a raw look into their lives and thoughts, allowing you to make your own conclusions. There’s also moments that made me uncomfortable, but life has it’s uncomfortable moments. I still don’t have a solid opinion on this book so I would love to listen to other people’s opinions on this!

Content Warnings

growplantsreadbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional sad tense

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

4.0

Oouf. I see why this is divisive. The writing is phenomenal. I was mesmerized by the dialogue... It was just painful to read about people making the same mistakes again and again and again. That's definitely the point. And it definitely has to do with the larger themes of class and communication. But God it was hard to want to pick up this book at certain points. Maybe it would have been easier if I didn't relate to both characters so much lol

Content Warnings

elspethmigliore's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0

this was truly one of the most beautiful books i have ever read. i have never story a book as real as this one.

it was definitely frustrating at times how odd and confusing the relationship and characters were. but thats the point. both marianne and connell are so relatable in so many ways and even at their worst times, they made sense. even when both of them were communicating at their best, there was still lots of miscommunication and pain, which is so realistic and honestly made their connection even more special. i fell in love with the dynamic of their comfort and pureness from the very beginning. i’m honestly just dumping a bunch of words right now because i’m kind of in shock at how relatable and real this story was. never in my life have i felt so close to and understood by a book. both of the characters were so incredibly real and true and i just wish them both the best.

this is 100 percent reread material ✅

Content Warnings

t_1208's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Content Warnings

angela_iseli's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

Content Warnings

More...