Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

103 reviews

enyltiak's review against another edition

dark emotional funny tense medium-paced

• 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Excrement, Gore, Classism, Animal death, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Kidnapping, Vomit, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, and Violence

Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

peskilanim's review

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Excrement, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Body horror, Rape, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Blood, and Classism

Moderate: Suicide, Slavery, Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Gun violence, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Drug use

izypup's review

emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Vomit, Eating disorder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Grief, Animal death, Gun violence, Body horror, Suicide attempt, Violence, Torture, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Drug use

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Abandonment, Pregnancy, Murder, Infidelity, Body shaming, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Cursing, Confinement, Blood, and Alcohol

jacob_dion's review

dark funny fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Drug use, Suicide attempt, Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, and Vomit

Moderate: Alcohol, Confinement, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Self harm, and Violence

nothoughts_mt's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-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

I would highly listen to the audiobook version of this! The narration done by "Emily Woo Zeller" is PHENOMENAL!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship and Eating disorder

Moderate: Body shaming, Self harm, Gaslighting, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Sexual assault

Moderate Anorexia, Food disorder mentions:

I do not remember the exact chapter, but near the end there is a GRAPHIC scene where one character is confined to a bed due to her eating disorder. And within that there is a mention of intestinal parasites

jerbarger's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

• 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

3.75

At first, MY BEST FRIENDS EXORCISM really annoyed me because it felt like a man writing about teenage girls (which it is, obviously, but there often comes this sort of tone and misunderstanding of what it is to be a teenage girl—and sometimes even this underlying dislike). 

I also didn’t appreciate all the casual racism and references to sexual assault. I see what Hendrix was trying to do and set the picture of the South, but it wasn’t ever really indicted? Like it seemed he did not approve from the tone of the main character when she mentioned these things but it was totally glossed over and also THERE WERE ONLY WHITE PEOPLE, so tell me how this improves the conversation? It doesn’t. And it almost made me stop reading the book. 

With all of that being said, it is a rather interesting and unique coming-of-age story. Her best friend is possessed by a demon, but who’s the real monster? The adults who don’t believe children? Society? Classism? The way Abby goes from feeling like a child to having the understanding that we are all truly alone in this world is devastating. And that’s what MY BEST FRIEND’S EXORCISM did best. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Violence, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Animal death, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Blood, and Classism

Moderate: Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Cursing, Rape, Drug use, Racism, and Slavery

Minor: Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, Suicidal thoughts, Cultural appropriation, Excrement, and Racial slurs

lexbox's review

adventurous dark hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• 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

3.75

Fun feels like the wrong word to use, but this book was a fun, quick read, not too dark (as far as exorcisms and demons go). If you’re looking for your standard exorcism fare with 80s nostalgia flair and a cast of mean girls, this is the book for you. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Vomit

Moderate: Drug use, Gaslighting, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Eating disorder, Medical content, and Violence

Minor: Gun violence and Domestic abuse

b00murded's review

adventurous funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

felt like watching a movie in my head. Soundtrack and all. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Body shaming, Eating disorder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Alcohol, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual assault

Minor: Animal death and Bullying

amelia_horseman's review

challenging dark funny sad tense 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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Death, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Grief, Blood, Gun violence, Toxic friendship, Vomit, and Suicide attempt

lotoblanco's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Vomit, Blood, Alcohol, Suicide attempt, Body shaming, Addiction, Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Cursing, Eating disorder, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Animal death