Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Cleópatra e Frankenstein by Coco Mellors

614 reviews

carlytenille's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail

sandro_reads's review against another edition

2.75

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I am thankful I read Blue Sisters first (which I loved) because I would have never picked up that book if this was my introduction to Coco Mellors. 

Not only are the characters unlikable, they are cartoonishly bad - even New York is a caricature. Couple this with all the minor characters and subplots that come and go without reason, it feels like this was cut up and assembled from many different books. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide attempt

sommerblond's review against another edition

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Drug use, Suicide attempt

cynfael's review against another edition

2.75

dark emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship

gracebuffin's review against another edition

5.0

challenging hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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i wanted to be petty and not give this 5 stars because the ending made me so mad 😭 but i knew it’d end up coming back and changing it. the book was just too good 😭

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Toxic friendship

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief

Minor: Dementia

b_e_e3's review against another edition

3.25

hopeful reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Self harm, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Toxic friendship

nadiellabythebook's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide attempt

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship

oceanwriter's review against another edition

1.0

dark tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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If I hadn't had this on my 'must-read in 2025' list that was glued into my reading journal, this would have been a DNF. I regret my compulsion to be a completionist. I feel ashamed for having even skimmed it; it was such an affront to my usual reading taste and content preference. I found some parts to be gratuitously graphic, empty, offensive, and even bigoted. I'm usually all for a darker premise with flawed characters, but these characters felt hollow with no redeeming qualities. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide attempt

Moderate: Animal death, Antisemitism, Death of parent

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Suicide

ft_reads's review against another edition

2.0

dark fast-paced

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Thanks I hate it. I understand that all the characters are supposed to be unlikable, but I did not understand any of their motivations or any of the decisions they made. I don't know what the point of this book was? What was the take away supposed to be? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Suicide attempt

Moderate: Sexual assault, Death of parent

robynl_0712's review against another edition

3.25

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Violence