Reviews with content warning for Suicide - The Dangers of Smoking in Bed

Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enríquez

134 reviews

sadlytriste's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

It was my first time reading a collection of short stories and my first horror book, and I found the experience quite enjoyable. Immersing myself in one story at a time was a unique experience, but some of the stories were so compelling that I couldn't resist reading more. It felt like a fantastic foray into the world of horror literature. Mariana Enriquez's writing style is captivating and enthralling, keeping me eagerly anticipating what would happen next with every page turn. Mariana Enriquez skillfully delves into a wide range of themes, including witchcraft, curses, trauma, and forbidden desires.

Among all the stories, "Meat" and "Kids Who Come Back" were my favorites. However, I should note that the stories can be pretty vile, so if you don't like that, you should probably avoid it. Overall, I would rate the collection 4 out of 5.

Content Warnings

laran_s's review against another edition

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dark sad tense slow-paced

1.0

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rowanelisa's review against another edition

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dark mysterious 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

4.75

Content Warnings

emziesreads's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective tense

4.0

Meat. Gorgeous writing, excellent storytelling, plus horror.

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libraryoflanelle's review against another edition

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2.0

This was my first Mariana Enriquez and I did not like it. I figured some of the language use could have been down to translation issues, this being an earlier work and/or a one off but sadly that does not seem to be the case. I do not often review books that aren't ARCs so did not immediately review this one, despite having issue with it. I CANNOT recommend this book. The writing style and some of the stories were very much my vibe but the repeated use of inappropriate language and a whole lot of fatphobia cannot go unmentioned. Below are some examples along with TWs for those who feel similarly to me or who appreciate the heads up.

Some NOPE quotes with TWs (pg numbers from UK edition):

TW: Inappropriate slavery reference

“I claimed mental exhaustion, and they understood; "You've been working like a s***e," they told me.” Pg 8

TW: Fatphobia

“Maybe if he saw how ugly her body was she had some really tubby legs, which she claimed were because she'd played hockey when she was little, but half of us had played hockey too, and none of us had those big ham hocks. Plus she had a flat ass and broad hips, which was why jeans never fit her well. If he saw those defects (plus the black hairs she never really got rid of maybe she couldn't pull them out down to the root, she was really dark), maybe Diego would stop liking Silvia and finally pay attention to us.” Pg 16

“A girl was walking ahead of her, somewhat unsta ble, with jeans too low and tight on her hips so her flaccid belly spilled out from under her short shirt a roll of chalky, stretch-marked flesh that would have been easy to hide with a long, baggy shirt, but the girl clearly wasn't worried about aesthetics.” Pg 57

TW: Transphobia

“but carefully, because she didn't want any cops to see her, and she didn't want to ask the tr*****s for money, because they beat up girls like her.” Pg 132

Content Warnings