Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter

15 reviews

veelaughtland's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Abortion, Drug abuse, Medical content, Toxic friendship, and Suicidal thoughts

madelinemartin's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

For anyone dealing with changing jobs and burnout, this book is almost too relatable. 

The book juxtaposes the situation Cassie finds herself in and the surrealistic depiction of her mental health issues in sharp contrast to one another, providing a sinister air to the shady corporate dealings she is forced to do, and an edge of realism to her very asbtract mental health issues. The tone shifts as her issues worsen, and while there isn't a whole lot of plot, her spiral seems scarily, worryingly relatable.

While the way her thoughts and actions escalate at the end of the novel implies she is going to end her life, it could also be interpreted as choosing to embrace the black hole as a pathway to starting over, changing her reality — a new job, new city, or ending her complicated situationship.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Classism, Abortion, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Moderate: Pregnancy, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Misogyny, Addiction, and Pandemic/Epidemic

caroisreading's review

dark emotional funny reflective sad tense fast-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

3.0

This book laid bare all the wounds of my own tech startup traumas. You could read this seriously, or with the levity of dark comedy that it's sold as. It's so exact in its descriptions, the desperate conversations, branded swag, agonizing all-hands, diversity metrics (lack thereof), the hostile undertones that erupt eventually. I felt massive anxiety and nausea reading this. 

Cassie is a marketing writer at Voyager, a user data startup promising ROI for its customers. She is far from home, not happy in San Francisco, barely affording rent and needing to buy outlet groceries despite being "senior" in a big tech job. Every day is a new nightmare, as she works endless hours and performs, to be told she's not performing. She relies on drugs, and a half-relationship with a chef, who admits he and his girlfriend are trying an open relationship. Throughout her life, she is followed by a black hole that grows and shrinks. She becomes infatuated with black hole research. 

Sarah Rose Etter is a talented writer, and doesn't hold back in her relentless descriptions of late-stage capitalism, have and have-nots, sexism, depression, the helplessness and bitterness of an entire generation trying to survive pandemics and a housing crisis.

I had a hard time sorting through the many metaphors being thrown at us -- fruit and seeds, black holes and space, fire and filth, bloody meat, singularity. On top of this, dictionary definitions marked each chapter, which felt oddly campy and a bit of a disservice to the quality of the writing. All of this made for a distracting read, when I really just wanted to sit in the heart of the rage and recollections of our disintegrating narrator. 

This is also a cast of horrible people that you'll need to be fine with hating. Even with Cassie, who endures verbal abuse at home and at work, you'll likely become frustrated, and belabored with the self pity displayed on each page. 

You should still give this a try if you're okay mentally with a lot of depressing and triggering content, have survived the woman-in-tech experience (weak laugh), and like trippy, unstable narrator reads. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Blood, Bullying, Infertility, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Abortion, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Excrement, Pandemic/Epidemic, Cursing, Drug use, Misogyny, and Addiction

kaicedcoffee's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

Wow. This book shook me up, man. Maybe it was just because so much of the story was close to home for me, but I was an emotional wreck reading this. Sobbed two different times, and I'm not one who cries over books....ever! Grabbed me by the throat and didn't get go until it was over.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Toxic friendship, Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Pandemic/Epidemic

virgcole398's review

dark emotional funny 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

4.75

If you’re struggling with your mental health or healing from narcissistic abuse, please don’t read this book. It just hit too close to home…

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Gaslighting, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Alcohol, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Suicide, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Police brutality, Toxic friendship, and Sexual content

smallmac's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

Really not sure if this was supposed to be satirical or not.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Drug use, Drug abuse, and Pregnancy

Minor: Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Abortion

tajosima's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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? No

5.0

Chapter 21: I knew I had to buy this book.
The way I feel about this book is the way I felt about The Bell Jar when I read it when I was younger. Now I’m older and I have Ripe to describe how i feel

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Pregnancy, Pandemic/Epidemic, Excrement, Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Classism, Blood, Abortion, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Drug use, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Infertility, Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Racism

katilein's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

4,5 with a different ending. Check the TW before reading.

Great writing but a big bummer. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Abortion, Child abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Self harm, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Violence, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Suicide attempt

biobeetle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, and Vomit

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