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Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki
254 reviews
bookishsapphicshay's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
loverofeels's review
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
stunning art!! the plot sucked me in at first, but the first 3/4 of this was repetitive enough that it started to get tiresome. it kinda became a cycle of "laura acts unpredictably" --> "freddy responds accordingly, treating her friends badly in the process" --> "her friends are understandably angry" --> repeat. the scenes with freddy's parents and those with eric and buddy felt kind of random, since the plotlines with her mom being annoyed, eric being bullied, etc were unresolved. i'm not sure whether those scenes were intended to paint a picture of her life as a whole or to serve as a foil to freddy and laura's relationship, but either way it didn't work for me.
i also don't love that freddy's one act of standing up for herself—breaking up with laura—only came after reading the email from the advice columnist. it would have been nice to see her come to that realization on her own and have a few honest conversations with laura and her family, rather than having a moment of bravery and suddenly everything's fine.
a lotta negativity in this review, but i honestly didn't hate this. the author does a good job depicting teenage emotions in a realistic way and the illustrations are certainly easy on the eyes. just leaves something to be desired.
i also don't love that freddy's one act of standing up for herself—breaking up with laura—only came after reading the email from the advice columnist. it would have been nice to see her come to that realization on her own and have a few honest conversations with laura and her family, rather than having a moment of bravery and suddenly everything's fine.
a lotta negativity in this review, but i honestly didn't hate this. the author does a good job depicting teenage emotions in a realistic way and the illustrations are certainly easy on the eyes. just leaves something to be desired.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Abortion, Infidelity, and Pregnancy
Minor: Vomit, Alcohol, Religious bigotry, and Homophobia
sidofherran's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
"The truth is, breakups are usually messy, the way people are messy, the way life is often messy. It's okay for a breakup to feel like a disaster. It doesn't feel okay, but I assure you it is okay. It's also true that you can break up with someone you still love. Because those two things are not distinct territories: love and not loving anymore."
an important book for lgbtq teens navigating toxic/abusive relationships and breakups. its important for young gay girls to know that sapphic relationships can be toxic or unhealthy too. personally i didn't vibe that strongly with the characters though, and most of it read like messy american teen drama, though realistic bc life is messy.
i really like the message about the importance of friendships, and how sometimes we can neglect our friends bc of a significant other. the advice about breakups is also something i needed to hear.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Emotional abuse
Minor: Abortion and Adult/minor relationship
sweetsxrrxw's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
4.25
one thing i absolutely love to see nowadays in cartoons or comics is diverse characters <3 i don't care if they're extras, seeing hijabis or pocs makes me truly happy :') so yeah, in terms of diversity, this is a 10/10. also the illustrations were really pretty and the pink theme was lovely <3
as to the plot, i love how the story deals with different serious topics. the main one is toxic relationships and how it affects the main character and, eventually, her friendships. laura dean is a perfect example of what a toxic and manipulative partner looks like. this story is basically about slowly being able to cut the person who's hurting you off.
and yeah, i know it is just a graphic novel and that it should only have one focus but there were some other subplots which would have been very interesting to see such as chris and buddy's relationship and how they managed to go through their ups and downs or, more importantly, doodle's process of abortion.
however i am aware that this story had one important theme and the author decided to stick to it. that's why really liked that, even though a possible romance with vi was hinted, it was never shown. it's cool that they focused on solely the toxic relationship and the happiness you feel after so many downs and after being able to acknowledge your worth and finally let go
so yeah, this is a really nice read and i encourage every teen who has ever gone through a toxic relationship to read it! :)
ps: another thing i'd like to mention is how the story didn't have any straight token friends. everyone around freddy's circle is queer
as to the plot, i love how the story deals with different serious topics. the main one is toxic relationships and how it affects the main character and, eventually, her friendships. laura dean is a perfect example of what a toxic and manipulative partner looks like. this story is basically about slowly being able to cut the person who's hurting you off.
and yeah, i know it is just a graphic novel and that it should only have one focus but there were some other subplots which would have been very interesting to see
however i am aware that this story had one important theme and the author decided to stick to it. that's why really liked that, even though a possible romance with vi was hinted, it was never shown. it's cool that they focused on solely the toxic relationship and the happiness you feel after so many downs and after being able to acknowledge your worth and finally let go
so yeah, this is a really nice read and i encourage every teen who has ever gone through a toxic relationship to read it! :)
ps: another thing i'd like to mention is how the story didn't have any straight token friends. everyone around freddy's circle is queer
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Abortion, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Pregnancy
Minor: Vomit and Homophobia
pey333's review
emotional
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Abortion
Minor: Homophobia, Vomit, Lesbophobia, and Sexual content
onion's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Excrement, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Abortion and Pregnancy
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, and Medical content
elinevdg's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Abortion
ender24's review
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Lesbophobia, Pedophilia, Racism, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Homophobia, and Pregnancy
fieldfarmer's review
emotional
hopeful
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
This book has some of the most gorgeous art I've ever seen. I absolutely adore the way every single character is drawn, and the pure excitement I felt seeing a fat character in a successful, loving relationship is unmatched. Other than that, the not uniquely queer but too often queer experience of clinging to first loves was captured so well. I loved how Freddy, in her own time, finally accepted the advice of her older queer peers and best friends who just want what's best for her. I also loved how Freddy had to realize the importance of her friendship with Doodle to, in a way, find her courage and self importance to step away and reassess her relationship with Laura Dean. I love finding Freddy's courage with her, and I'd do it all over again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Abortion
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship