Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Rouge by Mona Awad

4 reviews

ashyyy's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

The only way I can describe this book is comforting horror. Like a blanket that's slowly suffocating you. The narrative voice is more poetic prose and leaves you unsure whether you've slept walked through one chapter or five chapters. It felt like a natural progression of the author's writing style from Bunny.

I didn't necessarily like the protagonist, but that doesn't mean I wasn't rooting for them. Same with the protagonist's mother. I went in loathing her and came out with an angry, but empathetic, outlook.

The whiplash ending was wild. From being tense about the treament to laughing about Tom Cruise to crying over grief in the shape of a jellyfish. What a time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent and Grief

Moderate: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, and Gore

Minor: Toxic friendship and Racism

There is a heavy obsession with skincare and looking "beautiful" throughout the book, including lightening darker skin.

cara_anne's review

challenging dark mysterious slow-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Toxic friendship, Gore, and Death of parent

There’s a veiled, magical realism metaphor for child sexual abuse that becomes more and more clear as the theme continues.

samanthaleereads's review

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Toxic friendship, and Grief

Moderate: Racism, Religious bigotry, and Sexual content

Minor: Sexual harassment and Blood

gondorgirl's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Gaslighting, Body shaming, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Fatphobia, Body horror, and Toxic friendship