Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

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

60 reviews

thiskelsey's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Death of parent, Blood, Addiction, Sexism, Infidelity, Classism, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Death, Child abuse, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Rape, Murder, Misogyny, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Animal death

Minor: Abortion and Vomit

renpuspita's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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

4.5

With such a tongue-in-cheek title, I assume The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires will have a dark, macabre comedy on it despite its sinister synopsis. But, true to the blurb, the book is a true horror come to life, in this case for five housewives's life in the Charleston's suburban. The book tone is...very depressing. Full of uncertainty and despair, I can feel how hopeless the main character, Patricia Campbell when it comes to defend her children from the monster that wear a face of charming neighbor. Grady Hendrix was right when he said, the fight between the housewives vs the Dracula is not fair. Never. There's happy ending, but it comes in a high price.

I usually tend to avoid horror books, especially if its have any ghost on it. The Southern Book Club indeed have some ghost, but more like apparition of sort, since the enemy is, well, vampire. The book itself start so slow. Spanning for 9 years, from 1988 to 1997, its depict the daily life of Patricia Campbell with her book club friends, Kitty, Grace, Slick and Maryellen. Despite a shaky beginning, the five develop a friendship, bonded by their love for a true crime book genres. Even after the vampire, aka James Harris (this is no spoiler. It already describe on the blurb, lol), comes into the Old Village, the mundane daily life still go on. This part can be boring of sort, so I recommend to be patient when read it. Hendrix carefully weave the plot thread, one by one. I admit, I got so impatience reading this one. I want to know the fate of Patricia, if she finally succeed to defeat James Harris.

I can said, it's not easy. The setting do wonder. It's 90's era, an era where the housewives roles is reduced to merely clean their house, provide the family with food and educated their children. They must become proper ladies, prim to the core, manners first. Patricia just want the best for her family, even her husband become far until he practically a stranger to her. So when she start to suspect James Harris, of course no one believe her. Of course a fact that James Harris as a vampire is just Patricia's figment of imagination, since she got to much things to handle and with her love for a crime books that considered as trash. Of course what Patricia did, threat the peace of the neighborhood, even children from another neighbor who happen to be full of people of color are dying one by one. No one believe her, not even her book club friends. But, even so, Patricia didn't relent. She didn't give up. And even what she did make her feel humiliated, she still persist to protect her children from James Harris.

This book deals with many things, from misogyny views, especially to the housewives (like, they are just a bunch of mindless women who should know their place), to the systemic racism. Reading this book really give me a mixed feeling, but it's in a good way. I like that Hendrix didn't try to romanticize his villain while still manage to give James Harris a vampiric trait. Not the silly ones like can't eat garlic, must sleep in the coffin, sparkling in the sun, etc. More like, he must be invited if he want to enter the house, can walk in the daylight but still must avoid the sun, and can command animals to do his biddings. James Harris might be a charming fellow, even Patricia feel for his charm at first. In the surface, he seems like your usual good neighbor, willing to help with your problem, care for your children. But Hendrix show that's it's all just a facade. James Harris is a true psychopath, a man without morale compass, without remorse. Even to the end when he got cornered, he still try to use his charm in the pretend that he care. James is a true horror, a monster and I like that Hendrix didn't try to sugarcoated him, since James also a child molester and rapist. Reading that part make me want to bleach my mind. I don't care if his scene when he suck the blood from his victim make the victim feel euphoric (in a sexual way), what he did is totally wrong.

While Patricia is the main character, her book club friends is a part of the club for this slaying vampire thingies. They might not believe Patricia at first and for years they pretend that Patricia is wrong about James Harris. I'm glad when they finally come to senses, and in the climax of this book, they unified to fight James Harris when he threat one of their own. Even I liked Grace, the icy ones of the book club. While for me, Maryellen is the weakest link, since Kitty and Slick have their own arc. Do not expect a lynch mob or Buffy-like action when you read how Patricia and her book club friends defeat James Harris. There's no such action. The ending go quietly, without too much fanfare. Not with a bang, but an end befitting of monster such as James Harris. Although, it can be too gruesome, even for my taste. So I just try to read it without imagining about it too much. Not eat anything when reading will help.

Even there's no ghost (just apparition), I can feel the horror atmosphere. The scene with rats, insect, etc give me heebie-jeebies. The scene when Spoiler James rape Slick and sexually assaulted Patricia's daughter make me feel nauseated . The suspense, literally killing me, especially when Spoiler Patricia investigate James's house attic and then James coming home early, knowing that Patricia try to search his house for any evidence . So many is going on despite the mundane and slow beginning, so I'm glad that I finish this book and try to read another book to cleanse my mind, lol.

I have some little pet peeves for this book such as Spoiler why make Carter, Patricia's husband, as a cheater at the end. I think it will be different, lol. The one husband that seems devoted is only Kitty's husband. The rest is just a jerk, with Carter is the biggest jerk of them all. The book might be full of stereotype, but I don't mind. All I know is, housewives is a force to be reckoned with, especially when it comes to protect their children from any harm. Even said children might not realize it at first. I will recommend this one if you like a horror with suburban setting. But, like I said at first, don't think that The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires (goodness, the title is such a handful!) will be full of dark comedy or you will get a Buffy-or-Van-Helsing (the one with Hugh Jackman on it)-worthy action when it comes to slay the vampire. Because this book is more than that. 

It will make you feel uneasy. Just like what happen to me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Gore, Body horror, Misogyny, Blood, and Rape

Moderate: Toxic friendship and Racism

Minor: Infidelity

zzara's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.25

I was really pushing my usual genres reading this book because I don't usually read horror. It was by and large enjoyable and appropriately scary, particularly

Patricia's isolation due to her recognition that James Harris is a vampire while her husband, book club friends and their husbands refuse to believe her.

The book is a really interesting exploration of the inner lives of southern housewives, and how their role is understood by the men and society around them. 

Given this, I found it very strange that the book was written by a man. I read the first 150 pages or so under the misconception that the author was a woman, and I found it quite believable that it would have been written by a woman because the book is so focused on the female experience.

The book is fundamentally concerned with whether men believe the claims of women against other men, and the way that women are violated - psychologically and sexually - by men.

I get that the author might have wanted to explore femininity, but it seems very strange to me that he chose to do it by making all of the characters who we care about, whose inner lives are presented, women. It honestly creeped me out that it was written by a man. Because the sucking of blood is a sexual act in this book, there are various instances of sexual assault, including

a sexual relationship between the adult vampire and Patricia's seventeen year old daughter.

I found this to be the most disgusting part of this book, which I guess is the point in the horror genre. But still, it just felt really gross that this violation was written by a man. Moreover,

Patricia's sacrifice of herself as a substitute for her daughter

is a unique brand of motherly sacrifice - bodily sacrifice - and to me it's just really weird that it was written by a man. I probably would have rated it higher if this wasn't such an issue for me, but I couldn't stop thinking about it as I was reading it. The vibe was just really weird. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Gore, Blood, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Suicide attempt, Rape, and Murder

Moderate: Animal death, Forced institutionalization, Toxic friendship, Misogyny, and Classism

greatexpectations77's review

dark funny mysterious 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

4.5

This book is INTENSE. Kinda hit all of the trigger warnings on the way down. I was surprised how much I liked the author's characterization of the women, though.

But damn, I was so ready for Patricia's husband to bite the dust. He was on my last nerve.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Racism, Dementia, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Classism, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Death of parent, Violence, Suicide attempt, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, Kidnapping, and Murder

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Cannibalism, Sexual content, Stalking, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Animal death, Bullying, Pregnancy, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Fatphobia, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Body shaming, Confinement, Excrement, Grief, and Vomit

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Cancer, Drug abuse, Abandonment, Abortion, and Drug use

wayward's review

adventurous emotional funny mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexism, Sexual assault, Racism, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Infidelity, Death, Blood, Toxic friendship, Murder, Body horror, Rape, Misogyny, Gaslighting, and Dementia

ugh1ife's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

This book was a ride! First thing to know, these women are SOUTHERN. I was cringing a lot at the blatant classicism/racism/misogyny/etc. But the book did a decent job at criticizing it. AND BOY does the black community get the short end of the stick. Also, this book does kind of fall into the trope of having a black character (Mrs. Greene) do the brunt of the work especially in the aftermath. She also has to be the one to point out the obvious instances of prejudice which the other characters acknowledge in the moment but don’t really do anything about it?

At the end they admit that the black community was hurt the most but it’s in passing. And then that’s it. Like I think it’s meant to reflect that these characters are prejudiced and stuff, as a lot of rich suburb southerners are. There is also graphic violence depicted against black characters and straight up racism. So, this particular aspect fell short for me. Also, I am not black so I can only say the issues that I found with it

All the characters are extremely flawed, and so much of it had me furious (especially the husbands). It was also a deep dive into what being a “housewife” is really like and the learned helplessness of these women who have/had accepted their roles. I really think this book is for the parents: it does a great job at detailing the common worries that parents experience and their short comings. 

A short summary of the book?: a group of southern ladies form a book club that follows true crime novels. Patricia, a typical housewife in a strained marriage, befriends a newcomer to their tight night community. However, she begins to notice strange things happening and becomes increasingly convinced that their little home is in danger. 

The sexual content was a bit hard to get through, but I understand why it was there so I don’t really fault the book on it. Just be warned! 

SO SO SO MANY TRIGGER WARNINGS. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Classism, Death of parent, Gore, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual content, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Physical abuse, Slavery, Body horror, Gaslighting, Violence, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Animal death, Blood, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Police brutality, Rape, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Dementia, Drug abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts

lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-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

I have been slowly collecting Grady Hendrix's books so that I could read them all in October. This was my first read to kick off this mini, self-proclaimed readathon for spooky season.
"The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires" is a comedic horror about a group of true southern women who are in a book club together. One of the women, Patricia, is really struggling with her identity and finding her own purpose in life outside of motherhood. She befriends a new man in town and invites him to join the book club, but he might be hiding something that Bram Stoker would covet...
Grady Hendrix has really perfected his own brand of comedic horror. This book is a humorous vampire tale, but it definitely has the gore and violence that one may expect in a horror book. The atmosphere in this story was the perfect way to get into the October spirit. One of my favorite elements of this story was Patricia as a character. I really enjoyed the conversations that were had about her trading her successful career as a nurse to be a stay-at-home mom who cares for her family. This role is so vitally important, but it always seems to be looked down on, and in this book, Patricia is heavily judged and dismissed when she expresses her concerns that there may be a vampire in the neighborhood. Patricia is a badass, and she handled her unsupportive husband and judgmental friends as gracefully as any true southern woman would.
This is definitely one of my favorites from Grady Hendrix, and I highly recommend! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Blood, Death, Child death, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Pedophilia, Violence, Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, and Toxic friendship

uranaishi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Dementia, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Murder

Moderate: Rape, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Stalking, Excrement, Mental illness, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Medical content, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Vomit, Classism, Cursing, Death, and Violence

Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Infertility, Miscarriage, Addiction, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy

aardwyrm's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense 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

5.0

Like having your teeth pulled out by barbed wire, but they're really polite about it. There is a very scary vampire, but, you know how all good horror is about the unnatural threat AND the real ones? There's more dread in a cocktail party with friendly acquaintances than in most of the scenes with, you know, vampirism. The book juggles its time and place, both as a setting dripping with dread and with a comfortable, sympathetic gentleness that never actually lets anybody off the hook (though Mrs. Green is really much too forgiving in the last act). Does a really interesting job with being horribly physical about the most mundane and most otherworldly manifestations of gore alike. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Violence, Vomit, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Murder, Pedophilia, Self harm, Racial slurs, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

I liked this book, but it's billed as more horror comedy, and I do want to be clear, the horrible parts are gonna hit.

thevioletfoxbookshop's review against another edition

challenging dark tense 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? It's complicated

3.0

Grady Hendrix is a genre all on his own. As the title implies, expect a vampire... but not a sparkly or spooky one. This vampire is disgusting, terrifying, and actually scary. If you're into body horror, gross stuff, and super tense scenes - this is for you! There were some funny moments, some heartwarming moments, and good parts, but it was definitely a rollercoaster ride. I loved revisiting the 90's and seeing these suburban housewives pitted against pure evil. It was such a mix of funny and horrifying in a way that only Grady Hendrix can really pull off. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Dementia, and Classism

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, and Violence

Minor: Suicide attempt, Animal death, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Mental illness