Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

40 reviews

allykinng's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.75

If you’d like to read something that feels like you can’t trust yourself. (In a good way) read this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Child death

akrafi's review

challenging emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Death, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Dementia, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Animal death, and Grief

skpandher's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.5

This was a truly inspiring novel touching many different backgrounds. My take on the main character Cadence was truly astounding and the author was a wonderful writer. E. Lockhart managed to both enthrall and alienate you with her character's desicions. 

The characters are very human, choosing to burn down the island, but are also soft, especially when Cadence's recovery is shown.

They are very human, and relateable, something that is getting harder and harder to find in novels. I appreciated how the author wrote relationships as well, illustrating them as a two way street rather than focused on one member of them.

Overall, I was absolutely delighted with this novel and it's tantalizing plot of mystery and prejudice, sometimes slightly macabre.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Child death, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing

Minor: Toxic relationship

clstrifes's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

1.0

Book wasn’t good. It was clear what had happened with the not so subtle hints.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Racism, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Death, and Toxic relationship

vedpears's review

emotional mysterious sad 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

4.25

I dont want to give away too much but this was a great quick read! If you like Gossip Girl, this is right in line but with much less of a time commitment. Characters with full personalities, familial politics, class issues, and twisty twists! This would make a great poolside read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Animal death, Death, Drug use, Classism, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

wonderlandiful's review

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Death, Mental illness, Medical content, Murder, Grief, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Cursing

Minor: Addiction and Blood

guivx5's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0

Lockhart must be laughing at my face from her couch right now, drinking wine while she watches me trying to review this without ruining it for new readers.

Well done, Lockhart.
This is going to be
a hell
of
a mess.
Are you happy?

Don't worry, I'll cover the spoilers.

This is one son of a b***h of a pretentious book. God, it really is. I can see why people will love it or hate it, no in between. Because the whole narrative doesn't seem like it works during the first half. You start to question yourself if this is really clever or very badly written. And then it starts to hit you with a baseball bat on the forehead. Lockhart PURPOSEFULLY gets you the most vulnerable by making everything so confusing that you'll have no idea of what hit you. And she does it beautifully. When things start to get clear, it's too late for you. You've been taken.

Ok, now for some spoilers, and I BEG you to not read this before reading the book. Get yourself a copy, read the trigger warnings if necessary, and jump in.

 

GOD, THAT ENDING. That. Ending. What in the actual f**k, Lockhart? HOW?! No matter how predictable you think it was, it is undeniably well constructed.

Jesus, what was this? Like, how f***ing pretentious you have to be to make something like this? And it actually works! I was so f***ing confused by the writing style, at some points nothing seemed to make sense. But nothing made sense to Cadence until she started to remember the fire. Every line was chopped off and confusing, but then again, so was Cadence's memory for two years. Nothing in this book makes any sense until she starts to realize what happened. Nothing. If you drop this book before the end, you'll hate it. If you finish if, you'll most likely love it.

Dude, even the title, THE F***ING TITLE, makes so much sense after the plot is revealed. "We WERE Liars", not "We ARE".  Sure, it's nothing revolutionary, and it doesn't pretend to be. It is a f***ing hell of a twisted story and that's it. Sure, I don't think it's perfect, hence the 4 stars. But it is brilliantly written.

All in all, this has a guaranteed spot in my shelves for future rereads, because I have the impression Lockhart made so the story only gets better on a second run. For now, I can say that "We Were Liars" is undoubtedly one of the best mystery books I've read. THIS is mystery done right.

I still have the sequel to read, and I hope it doesn't suck.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma and Mental illness

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Animal death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, and Racism

krystaltyong's review

emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, and Violence

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Minor: Abandonment, Animal death, Racism, Dementia, and Toxic relationship

ashleyvharris's review

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

1.0

This was not fun. I only finished this book because I heard promises of a great twisty ending. It left me feeling meh. Not shocked or outraged or slighted. Just underwhelmed. The whole story felt super pretentious and unrelatable, more like watching an episode of The Kardashians where they’re bitching over shoes that cost more than a tropical vacation. Genuinely do not understand the hype. 

The one thing I will give this book is the RARE representation for chronic illness. I appreciated the portrayal of chronic pain via Cadence’s migraines. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Death, Gaslighting, Murder, and Grief

Moderate: Animal death, Racism, Chronic illness, Dementia, Addiction, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, and Classism

mattiedancer's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad 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

4.75

Writing: 5⭐️/5 

Hmm. How to discuss this without spoiling it or ruining the fun of reading it? I think, very plainly, I’ll say it’s some of the most technically controlled and interesting writing I’ve read in a YA novel. 

Characters: 4.75⭐️/5

Again, I’m going minimal with this review. Don’t expect anything, but do understand that the characters will jump off the page.

Plot: 4.5⭐️/5 

No way to talk about this one. Take the mark as it is, but go in expecting nothing. 

Post-Reading Rating:  5⭐️/5

Stunning.

Who Should Read This? 

• Fiction fans
• Fans of gossip girl vibes, but looking for more serious themes
• Someone looking for a well-balanced book with virtuosic writing control, well-developed characters, and an interesting plot

Final Rating: 4.75⭐️/5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Chronic illness, Classism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship