Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry

28 reviews

readorperish's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

4.25

First off, I’m not a “Friends” fan. It doesn’t represent my generation and I don’t find it funny or interesting. However, I have seen the author interviewed on Dave Letterman’s show and found him funny and quick witted. Tragically, the book was published right before Perry’s death. Do we blame addicts for their demises? Does the fact that Perry was rich and famous make us less sympathetic to his plight? Is it fair to blame his parents? I’m guessing Perry would have traded his fame and wealth for a wife and children, but ultimately he came to that realization too late.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Cursing, Drug use, Grief, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, and Excrement

kck7866's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

A must read for anyone who loves an addict and /or is one themselves. I devoured this book. It is heartbreaking and beautiful and funny and deeply unsettling.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death, and Alcoholism

kristyhill's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Medical content, Medical trauma, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship

lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

This book has been on my radar since last year, and I was all the more eager to read it after the untimely passing of Matthew Perry.
"Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing" is an autobiography that is written (and narrated) by renowned actor, Matthew Perry. Matthew's road to fame was not simple, and he faced several challenges in his childhood that continued to haunt him into adulthood. When he finally got his big break on "Friends", he thought everything would be great, but he quickly learned that his addictions demanded more attention and could cost him everything he worked his life to achieve.
I listened to this book on audio, and it was even more special to hear Matthew's words directly from his lips. The story also felt all the more haunting because in the prologue, Matthew makes a joke about this book being from beyond the grave, because he had died, but survived.
Although I am a big fan of "Friends", I never followed the actor's careers after the success of the show. So, reading about what Matthew Perry's life has been like over the past twenty years, since the ending of "Friends", was heartbreaking, but inspiring. Matthew struggled with addictions for the majority of his life, and everything really came to a head when he almost died. In spite of his struggles, he always tried to work to be better and gain control over his life. I think hearing stories like this are invaluable for people who are deep in their own struggles. No one is safe from the clutches of drugs and alcohol, and having success and money can actually just exacerbate the problems.
I really enjoyed learning more about Matthew Perry, and I hope he has finally found peace. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, Addiction, Medical content, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

Moderate: Sexual content

teacupsandfirereads's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

This memoir is beautiful and heartbreaking all at once. I think Matthew did an amazing job of showing the reality of addiction and what it is like in different forms. He did not shy away or sugar coat the ugly, difficult parts of it. For that, I think he deserves all the credit. Though is seemed a bit haphazard at times, I think it was an important part of it. Knowing he is now gone, makes it even more heartbreaking because you can tell he was really trying to do better. But addiction is a hard thing. He said it himself, addicts are not bad people.

PS. I did not watch Friends

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Addiction, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief

Minor: Cursing, Infidelity, Pandemic/Epidemic, Forced institutionalization, and Sexual content

mandolin77's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Medical content, Addiction, Chronic illness, Medical trauma, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Sexual content, Excrement, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Abandonment, Cursing, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

jane_of_sara's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Toxic relationship

allieskat17's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

An honest and heartbreaking story of the addiction that ran Matthew Perry’s life. This book chronicles his struggles with trauma, mental illness, and addiction in many different forms. Towards the end he even says he knows that it will kill him which is sadder to read since his death

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Cursing, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Self harm, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Infidelity, and Drug use

tays_books's review against another edition

reflective sad medium-paced

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Abandonment, Addiction, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Cursing, Self harm, Alcohol, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Moderate: Excrement, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Car accident and Infidelity

allisonstockslager's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcohol, Addiction, Mental illness, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Cursing, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Abandonment, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Suicidal thoughts