Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter

81 reviews

kbishop137's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion and Drug use

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Emotional abuse

alysereadsbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.25

Devastating view of modern life and the dystopia of the modern world. While I liked the metaphor of the black hole and depression, it felt a little heavy-handed at times. It was still an insightful and quick read and a gutting examination of work culture.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion and Mental illness

Moderate: Drug use, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

sarahweyand's review against another edition

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

3.75

I guess I should start by saying I don't think this book is for everyone, and if you hate it, I can totally understand why. Much like Go as a River, which I also read this month, this book doesn't feel like it has much of a plot to it. More of a hard-hitting slice-of-life. I just happen to really relate to some of what's brought up here due to my career as a woman in tech.

I enjoyed the prose and the audiobook narration, and I was eager to know what would happen next even if I couldn't discern what the conflict was, if there even was one. I just felt like in another life, it could be me, and that was a captivating thought.

The *gimmick* of this book that I'm not totally sure I understood was the black hole. I can appreciate it as a metaphor and motif and its purpose thematically - in theory - but it felt like it didn't play enough of a role in the story. I was just expecting more, so that was a bit of a let-down.

All in all I was pleasantly surprised here. I probably wouldn't recommend it to most folks, but I appreciate it for what it is.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Suicide, and Drug use

Moderate: Mental illness and Pandemic/Epidemic

soffafa's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-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? No

4.0

cassie is a very human individual swamped down by others; meeked by work and men, mother. im so hopeful for her to overcome being numb. i dont have a lot of words for this but it broke my heart how relatable she is. anyways short read but really enjoyed

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Abortion, and Panic attacks/disorders

literary_nikki's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

Uhm. Well. Aye. This was fucking bleak. Observant, sharp, and bloody tragic. I've been reading through other reviews to see what other people have said about this book and one reviewer said "don't read this if you're on the edge of a breakdown" and I think that's exactly where I went wrong. It is beautifully written, don't get me wrong, the author is talented - it's deeply satirical, the imagery is something else, treading that line between grotesque and beautiful, and the narrative kept me turning the pages, but jeezo, it's filled me with an emptiness and overwhelming sense of dread. It's intense and horrific. Ooft. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Suicide, and Drug use

Moderate: Pregnancy, Abortion, and Alcohol

rebekahelis's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion

Moderate: Drug use

dustghosts's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Abortion, Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide

Moderate: Body horror, Sexual content, Misogyny, Pandemic/Epidemic, Alcohol, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Police brutality, Child abuse, Infertility, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

leefox's review

dark emotional sad tense fast-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Abortion, and Alcohol

Moderate: Child abuse, Suicide, Self harm, and Sexual content

Minor: Vomit

emiliaphrodite's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? No

3.75

🫤

 lots of things were relatable, so i really enjoyed having some of my thoughts put into words.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Drug use

Minor: Police brutality and Excrement

mmccombs's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

An achingly honest and melancholy novel, brimming with anxiety and despair and also a kind of hope. Capitalism is a nightmare, often contrasted with the hugeness of space, making the issues Cassie face feel so small in comparison, though the sadness persists nonetheless. I think I enjoyed this so much because it felt so true to my own feelings of overwhelm, my own experience with start up culture, and how complicated it is to be a person today. So it may not resonate for everyone in the same way, but I felt very seen by this novel!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Fire/Fire injury, and Abortion

Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic and Toxic relationship