Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan

24 reviews

brookebatesratesbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad 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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Cursing, and Sexual content

Moderate: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, and Abandonment

Minor: Alcoholism

vulgarboy's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Frida's very bad day lead to one of the most brutally human stories I've read in a long time. Admittedly, I do not like children. I do not envy parents. The School for Good Mothers lead me down a path of pure instinct and need for survival. Frida is beautifully complex and flawed, her shortcomings real and painful. Her desperation to see her daughter again - not just keep custody of her- was an intense struggle to behold. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism

taysbooktalk's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

1.0

There are not words for this book, and not in a good way. I like to think if a book had me sobbing, nearly to a panic attack, and I will never forget- that it was an amazing book. It’s not. It’s intentionally meant to rip you apart and trigger you. It’s sold as a dystopian. It’s not. It’s weird and uncomfortable and gut wrenching. This not a Nicholas Sparks or Kristen Hannah book. This is not sad book that tells a story. This is not made to entertain you. It’s not made to make a difference or touch lives. This is made to hurt people. I don’t know that I will ever recover from this book. PLEASE DON’T READ THIS.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, and Alcohol

em216's review

dark emotional sad 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, and Pregnancy

islabjb's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment

Moderate: Cursing, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and War

Minor: Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Vomit, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, and Classism

alliecrosson203's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction and Abandonment

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury

laurenkimoto's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I wanted to love this book but I didn’t. 
Think if the Handmaids Tale, 1984, and Klara and the Sun had a book child. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

ynotlime's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense slow-paced

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

2.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Grief, and Abandonment

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

meowkira's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

melishahigdon'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? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This book was enlightening. I have never thought so much about how unfair part of the system actually is in the US. I was floored by how learning a lesson was not good enough for the system and administration, how doing a good thing was always overlooked because something Frida did was always wrong and that she “was a bad mother.”

This also showed me how unfair things could and probably are for those who aren’t white mothers in the United States, how the inherent, systemic racism affects American mothers who aren’t white.

There was a little discussion about the treatment of problematic fathers versus mothers: the fathers weren’t treated as poorly as the mothers in the school, which ostracized the mothers from humaneness like the fathers were shown.

I have a lot to say about this book, so if anyone wants to discuss it with me, please PM me. I am completely floored by this book.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Grief, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment

Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Racial slurs, and Blood