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nokibay's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Graphic: Self harm, Sexual assault, Vomit, Torture, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Eating disorder, Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, and Slavery
Minor: Domestic abuse, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, and Drug use
ladyinverse's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Blood and Body horror
Moderate: Animal death, Body shaming, Death of parent, Drug use, Bullying, Classism, and Death
Minor: Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, and Domestic abuse
mcmanduke's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
This was a nice audiobook for a car trip. A little slow but with enough 80s references and humor to make it work.
I wish there had been more supernatural stuff. The parts that were intended to be scary were just kinda gross.
Overall it was a cute story about friendship with some demon stuff thrown in. đ I'm definitely interested in reading more Hendrix.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Vomit, and Gore
Moderate: Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Body shaming, and Classism
FYI there are animals and pets in this book:geektastically's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal death, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Torture, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Classism, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Body shaming, Forced institutionalization, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, Eating disorder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide attempt, Violence, Blood, Grief, Sexism, Bullying, Car accident, Chronic illness, Vomit, Body horror, Kidnapping, Adult/minor relationship, Excrement, Misogyny, and Physical abuse
starry's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Body horror and Eating disorder
Moderate: Blood, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Torture, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Drug use and Rape
kurumipanda's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Medical content, Eating disorder, Chronic illness, Classism, Gun violence, Religious bigotry, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Death, Animal death, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, and Mental illness
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Body shaming, Terminal illness, Infidelity, Rape, and Forced institutionalization
the_comfy_cosy_corner's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Classism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Miscarriage, Addiction, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, Suicide attempt, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Body horror, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Car accident, Child abuse, Colonisation, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Violence, Vomit, and War
klfgasaway's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I loved the music references and it was enjoyable but look at the trigger warnings. Not much gore or violence lots of gross.
2. This book dropped a whole star because of good dog max dying on screen. I know itâs horror but killing a dog âon screenâ better have a much better reason than this. Very subjective opinion here but yeah. Just a personal thing.
3. Loved how religion was portrayed in the book starting with the Bible at the birthday party. And with the twist on the exorcism itself. Brilliant.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Eating disorder, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Body shaming, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Bullying, and Misogyny
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Excrement, Medical content, and Adult/minor relationship
owenwilsonbaby's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was camp and fun! I loved it. Scary enough to be a quick, compelling read but not so disturbing that it interfered with my love for the characters. Hendrix's depiction of teenage isolation and anxiety was at times painful to read but delicately amplified the wider horror plot and tropes at work. The real demon is high school!!
Not going to articulate this very well but I think this book's willingness to tackle both the joy and terror of growing up in the eighties is its primary strength. There's a romance and excitement to the setting and time period but it avoids indulging a simplified, homogenised version of the American past that Myke Bartlett identifies in media like Stranger Things. Its exploration of class, racism, ableism and rape culture works to create an uneasiness at the heart of this horror story. Abby has to face down the devil whilst also battling prejudice and a lack of understanding from her peers and the adults in her life.
I don't have many criticisms, and those that I do have I think I can put down to the fact that this book is first and foremost oriented towards young adult readers and therefore written with a different demographic in mind. I did at times wonder if the story may have benefited from the complexity of exploring queerness (hence Abby's penultimate 'dearly and queerly!' confession) but I can appreciate the centring of platonic love and female friendship when recent nostalgic outings like Stranger Things and the IT movies seemed to, at least initially, explore male friendship. All that said, I really enjoyed this book. It made for a good break from long reads, and the pacing, prose and imagery were particularly fantastic.
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Gore, Violence, Ableism, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Bullying, Sexual violence, Car accident, Classism, Alcohol, Self harm, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Rape, Toxic friendship, Cursing, Vomit, Death of parent, and Gun violence
literarywreck's review
- 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
3.0
I think it's unfortunate that Hendrix didn't choose to make the main characters' relationship more explicitly queer.
The queerplatonic relationship between these two girls was reminiscent of every overly intense female friendship I had as a youngin before I figured out I was bisexual (and that so were said "friends"). Once you add in the tumultuous and vaguely codependent relationship dynamic, WASPy parental disapproval, and odd involvement of a buff youth pastor, it's nearly identical. Using literal demons as a metaphor for queerness has a long history in horror, and actually addressing that and intentionally interacting with that would've been a much more interesting use of these pages. I'm still bothered by the kind of cheesy
3.5 rounded down
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Vomit, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Physical abuse, Self harm, Torture, Domestic abuse, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, and Classism