Reviews with content warning for Toxic friendship - Normal People

Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Normal People by Sally Rooney

334 reviews

growplantsreadbooks's review against another edition

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

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elspethmigliore's review against another edition

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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 ✅

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t_1208's review against another edition

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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

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angela_iseli's review against another edition

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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

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csharp's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

Although I rated this book 5 ⭐️ there is one identifiable flaw: NO QUOTATION MARKS. Sally Rooney you are truly insane for that.
Note to self and any others who come across this review: If you were looking for a lighthearted cozy read, get this book out of your sight. This book has caused me physical pain.
There is no way I can accurately describe the appeal of this book and why I loved it so much. There is no traditional storyline, I have a very real vendetta against Marianne the MC (but also I want to give her a big hug at the same time), and a lot of the time it seems this book is devoid of anything uplifting or encouraging.
Yet I could not peel my eyes away from this book. The characterisation of Connell and Marianne is extravagant and all too real. Their struggles with finding themselves is a bit too relatable and their relationship is a beautiful mess that I could not get enough of. The way they understand each other and are connected no matter what is such a beautiful thing to see pan out.
The end of this absolutely broke me. I physically winced and groaned in pain as I read the last line of the story:
You should go, she says. I’ll always be here. You know that.
SOMEBODY SEDATE ME. I didn’t sob but tears were shed.
This book has greatly impacted my brain chemistry, I feel as though I need to own a physical copy of this book and keep it close to me always. I believe part of why it resonates so much with me is the way Rooney writes about anxiety makes me feel seen and is comforting.

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alexplore's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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

5.0

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bludgeoned_by_hail's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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

4.5

This style of over-simplified prose is hard to get right but this book absolutely nails it. The skeletal writing feels clear and deliberate instead of lazy, and offers a clean backdrop for a moving and devastating coming of age story and its millions of moving parts (popularity, class, education, sex, mental illness, relationships with friends, family and partners).
And still most of all it's a love story. A very beautiful one.

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kasper_wllms's review against another edition

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challenging 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

2.5

Sally Rooney takes us on an excruciating and nail-biting journey in her book ‘Normal People’. In the book itself we get to meet the two protagonists, Connell and Marianne, who fall madly in love with the idea of each other. Due to the burden of social status in life and school, they get driven apart multipele times starting in high school. When they meet each other at college they cannot resist each other anymore and their complicated on-off situationship continues. Will they be able to love each other without the judgement of the people around them, or will they end up seeing each other never again?

I hated every single moment of this book, yet it was such a piece of art. The storyline, which regularly took us on a trip down memory lane, was not only confusing but painstakingly relatable in most aspects of today’s world. The effect social status has on your life is quite visible nowadays, affecting every single aspect in your life. Besides this the storyline was quite predictable, repeating the same story all over again: they get back together, but due to circumstances they don’t end up together. This not only makes the story boring in a way, but it also keeps us on edge; is this how the outcome actually is going to be?

The very descriptive scenes in the book made the book awful to read, describing every single detail of things we don’t speak about loudly in today’s society. Yet this also what makes the book unique; it talks about important topics and breaks taboos.

The characters we meet during the book are described vividly, which gives us the opportunity to really connect with them; we know every single time about them, from the things they like to the things they think of. Maybe this is a bit of an exaggeration, but Sally Rooney does give us the impression that we know the characters as if they are close friends to us.

This book is for sure not everyone’s cup of tea, making it so I wouldn’t’ recommend it to everyone. I understand why someone would absolutely want to burn this book, but I also understand why someone would absolutely fall in love with it. Personally, I don’t know if I hate the book, but I also certainly don’t love it: it was okay. In my personal opinion I’ve read better books, but this book also isn’t the type of book I would choose.

In conclusion, the book was an absolute pain in the buttocks to read but I also kind of liked it. It is a well-written story, that does sometimes lack a certain dynamic. The characters are lively, but it feels like we sometimes skip over certain aspects of character development. So overall a good book that I absolutely will never read again.

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annika_vanlaer's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-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

2.5

“Marianne answers the door when Connell rings the bell”

This is how the book Normal People starts. This is how a very complicated relationship between two teens begins.

Normal People is a book written by Sally Rooney, that tells the story of two teenagers and their intense on and off again love life. Throughout the book Marianne and Connell both grow as a person while they’re trying to figure out who they truly are.

The message and the concept of the book has potential and gives the opportunity to create a good and well formed book. However, from my perspective the writer did not succeed in bringing this book to life the way it could’ve been.

I truly believe in the potential of this book’s theme and that it could create an enjoyable and compelling story, unfortunately this wasn’t accomplished.

First I would like to start by talking about the book's writing style. Throughout the book there were no quotation marks which made it challenging to read. It was difficult to see whether someone was actually speaking or not. What made it even more confusing was the use of flashbacks. This would happen in the middle of their sentence or conversation, as a result you no longer knew where you left off in the storyline.

Besides that, there were huge time skips between each chapter and as you can probably understand, is this a factor in the book that creates confusion while reading. Not only that but it leaves large gaps in the storyline, which provides an incomplete understanding of the book.

What I liked about Normal People is that the characters showed growth throughout the story and that they found their way into the world. They did have ups and downs, but this is something I really appreciate seeing. One character I really liked was Karen. To me she was a positive asset to the book, which is why I would’ve liked her to be there for Marianne in college and later in her life. She was in my eyes one of the better characters and better friends of Marianne, even though we saw so little of her.

Even though I liked Karen, I disliked the majority of the main characters, which is a huge turn off for a book. Obviously their relationship was very problematic and everything but healthy, but for me it goes beyond that. What bothered me the most were the main characters and their personalities. It’s in the way they think, handle and interact with other characters. It is not so much the theme, but the characters that added a depressing vibe to the book. When I read a book I want to be invested, drawn in and touched by the story. While reading I would want to be thinking about the story and nothing else, but with this book I kept wondering when the chapter ended and when I could quit reading. I was not drawn into the story at all, I was just waiting for it to be over. Which may sound harsh but for me it’s just the truth.

I understand why the book and its theme could be popular amongst many people, but the way it was written and brought forward was disappointing. Therefore I wouldn’t recommend this book, especially not to teenagers. Books don't necessarily need a happy vibe to them, but if they create a depressive feeling, it’s just unenjoyable and tiresome.

Feel free to read the book, if you think you will like it or if the theme strikes you, but it’s just not for everyone and that is something you need to keep in mind while reading.

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mila_laureyssen's review against another edition

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emotional sad tense fast-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

2.5

Normal People tells the story of Marianne and Connell, two people who grow close during the final days of secondary school. As they move on to college and careers, the two struggle to make sense of their relationship and their feelings for one another.

This book was very difficult for me to get into. I would mostly dread everytime I would have to read it. I think it’s because it was quite boring and the same things kept happening. The on and off relationship between Marianne and Connell was frustrating sometimes.

The writing style annoyed me as well. Every chapter was a time jump meaning we would miss several months. Which was disorienting. Also the lack of quotation marks bothered me. It was hard to tell when someone was talking and who was talking.

The side-characters were badly developed as in they were mostly one dimensional regarding their personality. Although the conversations felt realistic and were nice to read.

I wouldn’t really recommend it to anyone. It is a very specific audience that would like this sort of book, which I don't think any of my acquaintances are part of.

In conclusion, unlike what it may look like I don’t find this book the worst i have read but it was not in my interest and quite boring in my opinion.

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