Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

33 reviews

mc_13's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Addiction and Drug use

tygeis02's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief

Moderate: Suicide, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, and Infidelity

Minor: Cancer, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, War, Addiction, Blood, Dementia, Alcohol, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, and Terminal illness

sierrabowers's review against another edition

challenging funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.0

This book was a disappointment and I should have DNF’d a while ago. But by the time I realized the storyline was bland, I was already more than halfway through. I finished but ultimately it wasn’t great. I gave 2 stars because it was funny on occasion and had a unique plot. There was some good character development but overall it wasn’t great. It was cheesy, slow, and the timeline made things confusing for me. I thought the robber was a male until 75% of the way through and realized they were a female?? I don’t know how I didn’t realize that beforehand? Or if it was on purpose? I’m not sure. Anyway, I would not recommend. 
I would compare this book to “Normal People” but more funny. Still depressing though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Cancer, Suicidal thoughts, Gun violence, Addiction, Alcohol, Drug use, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Blood, Classism, Pregnancy, Mental illness, and Suicide

maiahhtratchh's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective 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

Like all of his books, anxious people hooked me from the first chapter. I DEVOURED the last 150 pages. I’m shocked by how funny it was…. Although I don’t understand the “how’s tricks” thing…. I’ll have to Google it. 

oh my god the twist of the female bank robber got me. I read that part on international woman’s day then had a hoot laughing because how silly of me to think women COULDNT be terrible bank robbers 🤣 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Infidelity, Suicide attempt, Death, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Drug use, Death of parent, Addiction, and Drug abuse

Minor: Dementia

kianiz's review against another edition

reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

Great book, fantastic message.

Only downsides were:
• Book could have been shorter
• How the characters related to each other was a bit confusing at times
• Although in hindsight it makes sense why they’d acted how they did, the way the witnesses behaved in the interviews was still aggravating 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide

Minor: Addiction and Drug use

beatriks's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring lighthearted slow-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? Yes

3.75

I'm glad I finished this book, although it took me so long! I really did not like the narrative structure with little reveals of who is who, it was very hard to read. At the same time, I like how all little stories end. And there are so many great sentences to be found in the book about life. 
This was my first book of Fredrik Backman and I'm intrigued. I'm wondering how the other books are structured. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Grief

Moderate: Addiction and Death

Minor: Drug use and Alcoholism

gmwells's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective slow-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

TL;DR: THIS IS A TRULY AMAZING BOOK AND I BELIEVE EVERYONE SHOULD READ IT AT LEAST ONCE! This is one of those books that I wish I could read for the first time again. 

I bought this book on a whim because I happened to see it for sale online when I was searching for course books on Convergent Journalism. It had been in my TBR list for a short time as I saw many readers on BookTok (or whatever you want to call it) recommending it. 

When I started reading it, it was honestly because I couldn’t continue to read one of the five other books that I had started — I had to start a new book instead. I had no idea what this book was about, simply that it had something to do with “anxious people” as the title suggested.

After I began reading it, I will admit that I had a slow start. I made it through maybe five rather short chapters before needing to take a break. I had no idea where the story was going to take me, and I suppose my brain didn’t quite like that idea. 

As I continued reading (over a period of a few months packed with other things like birthday parties and black belt ceremonies), I had a greater appreciation for the book. I started finishing more and more chapters each time I picked it back up until I read the entire final half of the book in two days. 

I cried three times while reading this book: once a little less than halfway thought, once about 50 pages from the end, and once while reading the entirety of the last 15 or so chapters. 

Something that every author should strive for is having characters with relatable personalities. More importantly, every author should give their readers the ability to see the world through a new lens. Backman does both and more in this book. 

He tells a story of love (of all kinds), of loss, and of the ripple effect that people have on one another’s lives. The characters’ paths are carefully woven together, and new secrets continue to be revealed in practically every chapter. 

One thing that I will say about a certain relationship near the end is that they (not revealing who; no spoilers) were a bit forced. They had a mild amount of chemistry between them, but it seemed to carry the same message of amatonormativity that I have seen many books drenched in. Thankfully, because Backman also focuses on other kinds of love more strongly throughout the whole book, he did not have this message of amatonormativity as heavily thrust on the reader as many other books do; however, it was there nonetheless. 

This book has attachment, relatability, and simplicity, and that’s all you really need to write a great book. Besides the slow start and the one small bit that I mentioned in the above paragraph, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. I loved that I was kept on my toes right until the end, and that by that point I had unknowingly fallen in love with the characters so much that I couldn’t help but cry during the final pages. Backman’s writing style is one that I will forever appreciate and enjoy, and I look forward to reading more of his books in the future. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Death, Alcohol, and Death of parent

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Cancer, Drug use, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, and Infidelity

fingscientist's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious slow-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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity

Moderate: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Death of parent, Addiction, Alcohol, Cancer, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pregnancy

Minor: Gun violence, Drug abuse, and Drug use

hapalyn's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful slow-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: Pregnancy, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Grief, Mental illness, and Blood

Minor: Drug abuse and Drug use

sukiii's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing 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? Yes

5.0

wanted to cry towards the end of the book, but i wasn’t sure if my tears could have justified everything i was feeling inside, many emotions i never knew existed till i read this book, so i decided to just stare at my ceiling until 6am in the morning, head empty and heart full.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Drug abuse and Drug use