Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Big Swiss by Jen Beagin

381 reviews

bashahn5's review against another edition

dark funny sad medium-paced

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

3.5

Bizarre, and at times disturbing. The setting absurd. Greta, lives in Hudson, New York and transcribes therapy sessions, but develops an obsession with one of the clients that she names “Big Swiss.” Lots of dry humor and quite odd. Overall, not sure what to think.

Content warning: suicide and assault

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

secretbeeparty's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

i was hesitant about this book because it had blown up on tiktok, so i wasn't sure just how good it actually was. good god, this book is crazy and stressful and hilarious and ridiculous. i LOVED it. very similar energy to motherthing in the sense that this book covers some really heavy topics in a very laissez faire kind of way. i loved the way this book was written because you really felt like you were in the mind of Greta and her thought processes. not to mention, i got so freakin' stressed out when everything started to totally unfold and i just could not put this book down. i will be thinking about this one for a long time!!! i also really appreciated the perspective of an older woman because my books tend to skew younger main characters. im not a big rereader by any means, but i definitely anticipate myself reading this again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Physical abuse, and Suicide

leafyjosie's review against another edition

emotional slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Toxic friendship and Toxic relationship

lostgwennel's review against another edition

dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Moderate: Lesbophobia and Animal cruelty

mstrouse's review against another edition

dark funny medium-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: Sexual violence, Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, Suicide, Physical abuse, Violence, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Stalking

madqueenk's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Animal cruelty, and Sexual assault

indiahaze's review against another edition

dark funny fast-paced

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

4.25

Pleasantly queer, unapologetically weird, and deeply human.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual content

Moderate: Mental illness, Grief, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug use, Abandonment, Addiction, Death of parent, and Suicide

Minor: Animal cruelty, Stalking, and Cancer

swapacoinforafish's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

3.75

I found the beginning of this book really quirky in it's writing and that's what was really entertaining about it. Beagin's descriptions are very unique and it makes you drawn to the uniqueness of the characters. When i'm reading I usually have a good picture of the main characters in my head (typically with elements of celebrities or people I know) but I found it really hard to do with this. I didn't find myself identifying with them in any way which made it quite difficult for me to read. Having said that, it didnt stop me enjoying the dialogue and journey that the characters went through.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Drug use

slowreadersam's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse

Moderate: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts

julessssss's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

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

3.0

this is largely a small glimpse into the life of a mentally-ill woman, during which she falls in love. the absurdity of it all was my favorite part.

I enjoyed a lot of things about this book, and at times it was quite difficult to put down. On the other hand though, there was a good amount of things that did not hit too hard, like a lot of the comedy wasn't necessarily funny to me.

overall, I would not recommend this generally, but it is an interesting read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Animal death, Sexual content, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Moderate: Blood and Sexual violence

Minor: Rape