Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

60 reviews

sshpurple1's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

The title of this book is entirely misleading, and the characters are frustrating.  The husbands looked down on their wives and were not even remotely supportive, and domestic abuse was hinted at, if not outright, to be part of all the marriages.  When Patrica turns to the book club with her thoughts and evidence against James Harris, the women quickly abandon her when their husbands put pressure on them to do so.
There was no vampire hunting and very little slaying. I enjoyed the first third of this book; the middle was boring, and the ending, while interesting, should have happened sooner. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Blood

Moderate: Animal death, Death of parent, Dementia, Toxic friendship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

Minor: Racism, Self harm, and Adult/minor relationship

mantnam's review against another edition

dark funny reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

Loved it. While I didn't rate the characters as "loveable" I was still really invested in them. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Racism, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Dementia, Sexual assault, and Rape

Moderate: Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Body shaming, Child death, Classism, Gore, Pregnancy, Suicide, Grief, Hate crime, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

The rape was described by a character after it occurs but it's still heavy and features intense body horror. The racism is not swept under the rug, is is explicitly dealt with.

kier__'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Grief, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Body horror, Car accident, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Drug use, Gore, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual content, Blood, Dementia, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Cursing, and Death

leahkarge's review

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Murder, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child death, Classism, Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Medical content, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit

c_dmckinney's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Gore, Grief, Dementia, Death of parent, Stalking, Body horror, Child death, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Classism, Self harm, Kidnapping, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Child death, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Terminal illness, Sexism, Sexual content, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Sexual violence

Minor: Infidelity, Medical content, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Addiction, Religious bigotry, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Fire/Fire injury

a child is obsessed with Nazis and starts being unkind to animals, multiple children are preyed on by a literal monster

librarylassamj's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Rape, Toxic friendship, Blood, Death, and Sexism

alicia_m_andrews's review

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Murder, Sexual assault, Self harm, Violence, Classism, Misogyny, Mental illness, Animal cruelty, Gore, Gaslighting, Rape, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Animal death, and Blood

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Excrement, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Dementia, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

while there are many parts of this book that i didnt like, that was kinda the point. this was gross, absurd, and just downright disturbing. i could not put this down and have not been able to stop thinking about this despite reading it like a week ago. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Medical content, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Body horror, Child abuse, Classism, Cursing, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gore, Violence, Stalking, Blood, Child death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

fionaraney's review

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Animal death, Rape, Torture, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Domestic abuse, Child death, Murder, Alcohol, Suicide attempt, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic friendship, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Death, Cannibalism, Body horror, Alcoholism, Addiction, Blood, and Animal cruelty

huldasif's review

dark funny lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

This book is kind of like The Stepford Wives meets Salem's Lot meets Fried Green Tomatoes, but it was funnier.  The first chapter was hilarious in fact. I was laughing my head off, it was so funny. I was a little disappointed the book didn't continue on like that, but the book was still good. It became less funny as the horror built up, naturally. It would have been too much of a reprieve and taken away the suspense if it had kept on being so funny I guess. Plus, it just doesn't do to be laughing while children are dying on the next page. It was more creepy than scary though. The husbands were just as creepy as the vampire actually, which I thought was pretty clever of the author. I almost wanted to do them off too, they made me so mad. I'll definitely be reading My Best Friend's Exorcism too! But I sure hope Grady Hendrix writes a comedy if she hasn't already, because she is the funniest writer I ever came across. That first chapter was the best.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Racism, Death, Gore, Violence, and Misogyny

Moderate: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Animal death, Drug use, Excrement, Gaslighting, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Grief, Terminal illness, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Hate crime and Infidelity