Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

384 reviews

dejanira's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

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

2.0

Go the therapy or draw 25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body horror, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

gabriel_dingle's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

A Little Life is a profound and brutal novel about childhood trauma and its lifelong consequences. Although slow, detailed, and lengthy, this novel will leave you yearning for more, and hesitant to leave the characters, which you got to know so intimately, behind, and your heart feeling as though it has been squished in a hydraulic press. This has easily become one of my favourite novels of all time, and is truly a modern classic, a necessary read.

P.S. please make sure to check content warnings from reviewers. The content warnings on the main StoryGraph page for this novel are lacking, and many people understate just how upsetting this novel can be.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Torture, Medical content, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Car accident, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Child death, Vomit, Stalking, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Acts of self-harm and suicide attempts are described in detail, often, with little respite. Descriptions of rape and child abuse are described in painful detail and are designed to make you angry. This novel is not for the faint of heart or those in a bad state of mind.

rebekkamafia's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Biphobia, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Suicide, Vomit, and Car accident

Minor: Racial slurs and Transphobia

readwithsara's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

sunfleurbelle's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, and Toxic friendship

sshaw86's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Car accident, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Child death

clusterf_cked's review against another edition

dark 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

0.25

Torture porn. Only got through half of it. I was trying to push through but the constant trauma inflicted on Jude throughout the book was making me sick. The imagery was so thoroughly described that I had to read it all alone so that I could gag and cringe. It does not get better for him. Do not recommend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

sadie_g's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

An incredible and devasting story. 

Still processing this but it was so beautiful and it will be something I think of many many times. Especially this quote: "And so I try to be kind to everything I see, and in everything I see, I see him."

One of my main takeaways was how this book highlights the importance of friendship and found family throughout your life. The characters and the relationships are so fully formed and it feels as if these could be real people. Throughout the book we get different timelines and it changes perspectives which helps you to truly understand each character and their relationships. I feel like this quote encapsulates this: "Wasn't friendship its own miracle, the finding of another person who made the entire lonely world seem somehow less lonely?"

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Car accident

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Suicide, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

Minor: Child death and Toxic friendship

rjaxn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Was emotional in ways that really make you have to take a breath. Though your emotions will be running, this book feels important for anyone’s reflection on this life we live. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Vomit

kylajaynebooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail