Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Normal People by Sally Rooney

333 reviews

omarortiz1519's review against another edition

hopeful 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Toxic friendship

jameserinoreads's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

Sometimes painfully relatable. As the author is Irish, so are her values and global political views, prepare to be triggered if you don't believe in human rights and socio-economic equality. I all seriousness, lovely read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Classism, Abandonment, Misogyny, Drug use, Sexual assault, Grief, Toxic friendship, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Blood, Suicide, Alcohol, and Suicidal thoughts

aleilvandrea'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Blood, Classism, Grief, Sexism, Violence, Body shaming, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Suicide, Torture, Alcohol, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Rape, Gaslighting, and Death of parent

Minor: War

mari_universe's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

2.0

I absolutely loved the writing style of this books but the story line just wasn't for me. While it was an interesting idea and I liked the realistic approach, the relationships and people described are purely toxic and abusive. Their actions seem to repeat themselves over and over without them being able to express their feelings at all which is incredibly frustrating to read. The ending also didn't give the satisfaction I was hoping for.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Domestic abuse

Minor: Suicide

sailorpisces's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Suicide, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Cursing, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Bullying, Classism, Alcohol, and Self harm

Minor: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Adult/minor relationship, and Child abuse

jordan_noel's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad fast-paced

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

4.0

I didn’t necessarily love this book. I didn’t really love the characters, and I don’t know if I really expected anything to happen. But I don’t think the book is trying to say there’s destiny. In fact, I think it’s the opposite. Sometimes people end up together and help each other and try to be loved by each other. They aren’t going to be perfect. And they aren’t necessarily meant to be. Sometimes it can work out for a bit and sometimes it doesn’t, but hopefully life helps you have a person to stick with anyway.

I don’t think Connell and Marianne are good people and they’re not always good friends. Luckily, they still care about each other and help each other right before saving might not be possible anymore. Maybe we can’t ask for more than that in normal people. That’s just who we are, and that’s the best we’re going to get.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Classism, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Pregnancy, Blood, Abandonment, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness

larilinlin's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Toxic friendship, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, and Mental illness

lilias's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

2.75

In the beginning I kept thinking: When Harry Met Sally but make it shoe-gazing. Overall, I found this book to be both captivating and frustrating. I really loved certain aspects of Sally Rooney’s writing. Her moments that were here and now regarding Connell and Marianne were fantastic, and I reread some passages in awe of how well she showed the subtleties of human interaction. But I never really knew how we got here and there, especially when it came to Marianne. 

We mainly see things from Connell’s point of view. His mom, Lorraine, is a wonderful person and raised him on her own. He has a passion for reading, literature, especially. He is a poor kid who is constantly surrounded by rich kids, and the reminder of his background never goes away. It’s exasperated by Marianne, through no fault of her own, because she’s a girl who comes from an exceptionally rich family. His conventional views keep him from allowing Marianne to live at her full potential around him. He won’t reveal certain weaknesses around her, making their relationship full of potential but always unbalanced. Marianne feels that potential but blames herself for them never reaching it. Her leap to self-blame is probably familiar to a lot of women readers, and it’s furthered by her family, which is abusive. 

For some reason, Marianne, as a character, is not as fully formed as Connell. At times, it was as though Marianne was losing both as a character within the story and a character on the page. Towards the end of the book, I started to dread reading more. I usually read dark books, but the constant cruelty Marianne kept having to endure just wore me out. I wish Rooney had left it out because distracted from the central character studies.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Drug use, Abandonment, Body shaming, Bullying, Classism, Death of parent, Mental illness, Grief, and Domestic abuse

In the beginning I kept thinking: When Harry Met Sally but make it shoe-gazing. Overall, I found this book to be both captivating and frustrating. I really loved certain aspects of Sally Rooney’s writing. Her moments that were here and now regarding Connell and Marianne were fantastic, and I reread some passages in awe of how well she showed the subtleties of human interaction. But I never really knew how we got here and there, especially when it came to Marianne. We mainly see things from Connell’s point of view. His mom, Lorraine, is a wonderful person and raised him on her own. He has a passion for reading, literature, especially. He is a poor kid who is constantly surrounded by rich kids, and the reminder of his background never goes away. It’s exasperated by Marianne, through no fault of her own, because she’s a girl who comes from an exceptionally rich family. His conventional views keep him from allowing Marianne to live at her full potential around him. He won’t reveal certain weaknesses around her, making their relationship full of potential but always unbalanced. Marianne feels that potential but blames herself for them never reaching it. Her leap to self-blame is probably familiar to a lot of women readers, and it’s furthered by her family, which is abusive. For some reason, Marianne, as a character, is not as fully formed as Connell. At times, it was as though Marianne was losing both as a character within the story and a character on the page. Towards the end of the book, I started to dread reading more. I usually read dark books, but the constant cruelty Marianne kept having to endure just wore me out. I wish Rooney had left it out because distracted from the central character studies.

camillarossi's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Classism, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Eating disorder, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

stephyrm's review against another edition

emotional sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Alcohol, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Suicide, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Death

Minor: Blood, Classism, Death of parent, and Drug use