Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Maame by Jessica George

42 reviews

headinthepages's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Grief, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Drug use, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship

elizaob's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Racism, Death of parent, Grief, Toxic friendship, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death

bookish_wanderer's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent

Moderate: Racism and Suicide

Minor: Gaslighting and Toxic relationship

torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Alcohol, Cursing, Racism, Suicide, Sexual content, Chronic illness, Abandonment, Body horror, Dysphoria, Dementia, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

sharrikloves's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, and Mental illness

Moderate: Racism, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

siobhanward's review against another edition

emotional medium-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? It's complicated

3.5

 I'm right around Maddie's age, so maybe that's why I found her so frustrating. While she definitely had her own unique challenges, she was her own worst enemy. I was glad to see her grow and change and come into her own, but oh man it took her a while to get there. Her constant Googling obviously did her no favours - I'm mostly just shocked that someone who had grown up with Yahoo Answers is still trying to find answers on internet forums. Like didn't we all learn that is a terrible source for answers.

However, I definitely could sympathize with Maddie at times. Being in your mid-20s is weird. It's a lot to navigate at one time and she had even more going on with her family than most. I kind of wished there had been a bit more focus on her friendships, but overall the book was solid 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent and Terminal illness

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Sexual content, and Infidelity

purplepenning's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful sad medium-paced

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

4.25

This is an exceptionally written character-driven book (with a couple of plot-driven gut punches) that captures the current moment in a way that reminds me of Such a Fun Age. For some reason, I didn't realize the depth of the grief and loss that would be explored, so definitely check those content notes. It also explores racism in the workplace and relationships, pressures of first gen immigrants, modern dating, Google as parent/mentor/friend, loneliness, sexual pressure and pleasure for women, found family, mental health, and more. It's all packed into a deceptively simple story about a daughter with an overly developed sense of responsibility and an underdeveloped support system. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Biphobia, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Cursing, and Homophobia

Minor: Suicide

More specifics on the grief and loss:

Maddie's experiences surrounding the death of a parent are a gut punch, including a missed opportunity to say goodbye, the painful conversations surrounding the arrangement of services, and the grieving process afterwards

ittywitty's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted sad 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

Brilliant debut and coming-of-age story. I was not prepared for Maddie and now I wish I could be her friend. Some parts witty and hilarious, other parts raw and heartbreaking. I devoured in days, would highly recommend.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Racism, Death of parent, Sexual content, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, and Drug use

tsodeur's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-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

4.5

This started slow for me but I liked where it went. Maddie is complicated and lovable and relatable at times and just all around a character you truly feel you’re in her head. 4.5 stars rounded up. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Racism, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Bullying, Cursing, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts

rachelp's review against another edition

emotional funny sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent and Grief

Moderate: Toxic relationship

Minor: Suicide