Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

20 reviews

evelynyle_88's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense 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? Yes

5.0

Another review come up!

Well, at first... I was still trying to understand what the story was about. So many things made me confused at first, but I feel intrigued and attached to this new book. As I tried to deep dive and understand every parts, characters, plots and discover more to the story, then...

BOOM!🤯

I felt my head explode. This book is one of a kind. Similar to Ace of Spades but different, I think Where Sleeping Girls Lie showed how dark the secrets could be. It was more terrifying while I was reading with my own voice (not in silent way). 

Where Sleeping Girls Lie succeed to make me feel scared and eerie; also triggered by some scenes at some points! And of course my love for the characters are overload; especially Elizabeth, Baz and Persephone. 

For Sade Hussein, our main character? I can say sometimes she's a little shady... but we can say that she is a morally grey main character, can't we? And I love her for it. Thank you Faridah for this book. Another brilliant story from how we see real community around people nowadays. 

This story raise my awareness of how cyber world and social media world are cruel to people; even horrifying. Straight 5⭐!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, and Suicide

Moderate: Death of parent, Murder, and Drug use

Minor: Lesbophobia, Alcohol, and Animal death

lydiareads247's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Alcohol, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexism, Suicide, Drug use, Gaslighting, Grief, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence

lovelikethiswillendintragedy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective 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

Absolutely wonderful :0
I was worried for a bit that a trope that I *despise* (

A male love interest that’s covered in red flags but still ends up with the main character

) would happen, but nope!

The guy is actually a creep, and way worse than what she thought.

I feel kind of bad for being relieved, because the outcome was way worse for the characters that were involved, but I am just so damn tired of the alternative where

the guy is really such a good guy and everything’s fine with him.

 
But enough about that. The characters are wonderful, I thought it was interesting that the iconic popular girl trio wasn’t mean like I was preparing for them to be. They’re actually really sweet and it reminds me a lot of my school!
I loved Baz’s reactions to things, he managed to be the lighthearted “funny character” while still being down to earth and bringing the focus back to Elizabeth when necessary. Absolutely wonderful chaotic good boyo and I love him with my entire heart.
All in all, this book wasn’t what I expected. (Don’t get me wrong, I expected to love it, just not for it to play out the way it did.) The themes the author intended were strong throughout the book, and I read it in like a week, it was so good. 10/10, Baz can steal my soul if he wants, he deserves it

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Misogyny, Sexism, Drug use, Death, Cursing, Rape, Murder, and Grief

Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Death of parent, Blood, and Kidnapping

Minor: Lesbophobia, Racism, and Mental illness

ghostlyprince's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Child death, Death, Bullying, Gaslighting, Grief, and Rape

Moderate: Addiction, Sexism, Stalking, Death of parent, Dementia, Drug abuse, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Confinement, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Classism, Drug use, Suicide, Emotional abuse, and Misogyny

Minor: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Body shaming, Lesbophobia, Animal death, and Physical abuse

There's a scene where a pet hamster needs to go the hospital but it ends up fine

kaerene's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

Not going to lie, I was a little intimidated by the small font and size of this book at the beginning but once I started reading and getting into the story of Where Sleeping Girls Lie that quickly changed. I really enjoyed reading this book although it felt super long at times. I felt the ending was especially long because it got to the point where so many tense things happened in succession that my brain was ready to be done. 

With that being said, I really liked the rest of it. I was really intrigued with the characters and the mystery of it all. I had so many theories on who Sade was and how this mystery was going to be solved. And let me tell ya, my theories all ended up being wrong. So wrong that my jaw ended up on the floor when the big plot twist happened and I was the living embodiment of the shocked face emoji. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Death, and Grief

Moderate: Misogyny, Alcohol, Murder, Rape, Suicide, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Death of parent

shadeyc's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional relaxing sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

3.75 
Well. That was intense. Oooooh did that give me the feels, and unsurprisingly made me mad at the patriachy all over again. 
I loved the beginning, that first chapter really got me, I'm always sucked in by Àbíké-Íyímídé's writing. But, and it's kind of a half hearted but, I did feel like this book went on a bit long. 
I was right there with Sade for most of it, and then I started getting tired. And then I got frsutrated, and then mad, and then tired again. 
I get the slow burn suspense is what drives this book, but I think the middle got a little bogged down, and we would still get hit by all th revelations and impact even if this was a little shorter. 
PS. Persephone for Prime Minister! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Grief, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Alcohol, Bullying, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Drug use, and Suicidal thoughts

I've put certain types of assault down as graphic because the impact of them feels that way. However, while the book deals with assault it is not explictly graphic, the discussion of or act is generally talked of, not detailed.

elliott_the_clementine's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-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? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Sexism, Misogyny, Rape, Drug use, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Death of parent, Child death, and Drug abuse

emzhay's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.75

Its book is very well written and compelling but the pacing is so slow that it feels like nothing actually happens until you’re halfway through. Then the last 20% is breakneck speed where everything is happening. I was really absorbed into to the story, but the way it wrapped up left me disappointed, not in the way that everything resolved but rather the delivery. I definitely enjoyed this book overall and thought that while the subject matter was dark, it was an important story to tell. I like dark academia that actually addresses the ways in which educational institutions fail their students. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Sexism, Rape, Sexual assault, Misogyny, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Drug use and Suicide

Minor: Racism and Child abuse

touchingmyshelf's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.0

This is a absolute CHONKER of a YA at a startling almost 600 pages so when this one arrived I was shocked to say the least 😅 I haven’t read a ya in a long time so it being so large concerned me, but the dark academia and mystery vibes gave me hope that I’d still enjoy it and I really did. I really enjoyed the twists and turns and found myself surprised by the characters at times. There was a chunk of the middle of the book where it felt a little like there was no progress was being made but if you push through that then it picks up after. Also the representation in this is absolutely lovely and so well done absolute chefs 💋 overall a great ya read!

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Self harm, and Suicide

Minor: Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Animal death

behindherpages's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicide

Moderate: Alcohol, Bullying, and Homophobia

Minor: Addiction