Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Such a Pretty Smile by Kristi DeMeester

10 reviews

aparker89's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Body horror, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Terminal illness, Torture, Child death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, and Murder

Minor: Animal cruelty, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Rape, Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal death, Slavery, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Classism, Colonisation, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Eating disorder, Chronic illness, Dementia, and Pregnancy

bellestallard's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

one of the most unique horror stories i’ve read! a true page turner. i wish the ending had been a bit stronger. it felt so good but then lead up to a weaker last few chapters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Misogyny, Murder, Death of parent, Blood, Child death, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Body horror

Minor: Pregnancy and Vomit

iseefirede's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

4.5

I enjoyed this book. It kept me interested and I did not want to put it down. I was a bit dissatisfied with the ending...it felt almost rushed to me in comparison with the rest of the book. I definitely related to Caroline and her struggle with mental illness and dissociation.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Death of parent, Violence, Death, Bullying, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Misogyny, and Lesbophobia

kabrown28's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Eating disorder, Adult/minor relationship, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Sexism, Murder, Lesbophobia, Animal death, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

szyca's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Blood, Gaslighting, Sexism, Animal death, Mental illness, Gore, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Body horror, Child death, and Death

Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Bullying, and Grief

kateapatton's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Mental illness, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Misogyny, and Gore

Moderate: Death of parent, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness

ohhthehorrors's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Gore, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Toxic friendship

cheesedance's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Child death, Emotional abuse, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Toxic friendship and Sexual harassment

kaylaramoutar's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death of parent, Death, Dementia, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence

butyougotmysoul's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

2.75

This book was supplied to me as an ARC from Netgalley.  

I'm of two minds with this book.  I feel like it relies on some tropes that I really didn't appreciate such as mental health being to blame for severe character flaws,

but then that turns around in the last two-ish chapters.  For me as a reader with mental health issues I would have liked to see some other explanation.

  I don't know.  Maybe with time this book will grow on me, but I'm not keeping my hopes up.  The casual fatphobia littered throughout also did not do this book any favors.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Stalking, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, and Violence