Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi

28 reviews

danajoy's review

dark emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Moderate: Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Rape, Toxic relationship, Addiction, and Alcohol

Minor: Abortion and Eating disorder

booknerd_life's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Ableism

lisa_m's review against another edition

challenging dark funny hopeful tense 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

I really enjoyed this book. I thought I was going to give it 5 stars and I probably would have if it had been a few chapters longer. I did not like the ending.

They didn't even speak their feelings, it was just implied. And for the whole book revolving about those too figuring out their lifes and emotions it's quite frustrating to not actually do that with their feelings towards each other.

But other than that I thought the book was really good. I maybe should have read some trigger warnings first because I was quite shocked when the rape scene happened. I did not expect it at all. It wasn't exploitative but in enough detail to make me uncomfortable.

There are definitely some darker themes and important topics but I think they were handled in a great way.

I really enjoyed that Penny wrote a story that we also got to read. I thought it was really good and interesting and I always like 'books' in books and that type of thing.

I might reread this and give it 5 stars in a few years. Who knows.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Alcoholism, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Addiction, Classism, Deportation, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Child death, Medical content, Pregnancy, Rape, Racial slurs, and Toxic relationship

btwnprintedpgs's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Rape, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Drug use and Racism

Minor: Child abuse and Child death

TW: mentions of HP, on-page panic attack, use of the word "spazz" to describe unattractive behaviour, alcoholism, racism, pregnancy scare, rape, jokes about the use of swastikas and images of Juggalos as decor, smoking, underage drinking, drug use (off-page, weed overdose), toxic relationship

aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition

emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.0

Overall not a bad book but not one I'd necessarily recommend. The characters were a bit frustrating for almost the whole book, but I liked the ending. I could relate to Penny on a few things. Jude was my favorite character throughout.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Classism, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Racism, Rape, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pregnancy

escapismforlife's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative lighthearted reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Drug use, Rape, Alcoholism, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Abortion, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic relationship

ava_jane's review against another edition

sad medium-paced

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

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Racism

Moderate: Child abuse, Eating disorder, and Panic attacks/disorders

allylund9's review against another edition

dark emotional lighthearted medium-paced

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

2.0

I thought the characters and the way they talked/acted to be very unlikeable, and I never really got invested.  . The language has also  aged pretty badly, (as it is written with a lot of internet slang and pop culture references) I cannot imagine how difficult it will be to read in a couple years.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Rape, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Sexual assault

_bethypaige's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Toxic relationship, Addiction, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Classism, and Racism

Minor: Pregnancy and Miscarriage

hmlongstreet's review

emotional funny lighthearted medium-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

2.0

I had written a review on this book but it somehow got deleted so I am rewriting this.
I picked up this book because the cover had a review by Rainbow Rowell (author of Fangirl and Eleanor & Park) and she said it was a good read. This is my usual book genre, a fluffy college romance. I got invested in the story, I really did but after I had finished the book I was left with the feeling of "That's it?". The book has a promising beginning, a going somewhere middle, and a disappointing end. 

Themes, characters, and stories are brought up only to be dropped in the next few sections, never to be heard from again. Even some conflicts remained unsolved and even when it was resolved I felt zero satisfaction. This is the book where you could leave out full characters and the story would not change one bit. And the main characters are just okay, the story is character-based but the development to me felt so small. I also could not find the plot, as I went through three ideas of what it could be, it is revealed so far towards the end it makes the whole story feel pointless. 

I will mention something about the main character, will place a spoiler as it reveals things in the book.

I found that Penny's treatment of her mother was unjustified. I mean we find out Penny was raped and her mother didn't do anything, she also doesn't know and never learns by the end of the book. It is made out to seem like this is why Penny has a bad relationship with her mom, but it just doesn't sit right with me. This is revealed so late that it makes you think throughout Penny doesn't like her mother simply because she is a "MILF". I could go on but this would be a much longer review than it already is.

I really wanted to love this one, but after I finished it and sat with it for a few minutes I couldn't.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual assault