Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan

14 reviews

perfectcupoftea's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Miscarriage

cartermon4's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

I was so frustrated throughout the book, but it definitely hints at real world inequalities and insane expectations for mothers.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Moderate: Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, and Car accident

crystalsparkles's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

5.0

Highly recommend checking out the trigger warnings first and only read if you can truly handle them.  This book is soooo good.  The story had me raging, and bawling, frustrated by injustice and hopeful… It is devastating. There were times when I didn’t know if I could finish the story, because it almost hits too hard. Especially in the global political climate, who’s to say this is too far of a stretch for North America sometime in the nearish future.  It will surely make you question your own parenting.  

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Hate crime, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Car accident, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Cancer, Pedophilia, and Kidnapping

easta98's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful relaxing sad 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? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Suicide, and Abandonment

Minor: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Car accident, and Alcohol

kelisabeth's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense fast-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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

ottercorg's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

A heavy read with a slow first half, I did enjoy this one. An interesting premise full of antagonists that made me want to pull my hair out for their ignorance, but not enough to make me want to stop reading. 

I appreciated Chan's writing style and characters, and for once also appreciated the open ending. 

I think a true happy ending wouldn't have been appropriate, but a true sad/negative ending would've been overkill or too much to take.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol

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

sakisreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-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

4.5

Oof, this was a very intense and upsetting book 😦 Definitely not a light bedtime read (which is what I treated it as, and regretted almost immediately afterwards 😂)!

Frida starts out by having her ‘very bad day’. Whilst taking care of her daughter Harriet, she forgets a document at work and leaves Harriet sleeping in the house. As a child naturally may, Harriet starts crying a bit during her sleep to which neighbours call the police on Frida.

Frida ends up at the ‘School for Good Mothers’ (which, as said beautifully by The Telegraph, is ‘The Handmaid’s Tale for the Squid Games generation’).

 

I was about to be disappointed by the ending, thinking Frida was going to let her termination of parental rights slide, so I let out a little gasp when she planned her getaway with Will as an unknowing accomplice! I’m not going to lie, I really revelled in that part 😳 What a twist!

I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoyed The Handmaid’s Tale and need a feminist text 🔥 So so interesting!

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

notalwaysontime's review against another edition

dark 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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

Minor: Drug use, Mental illness, Miscarriage, and Alcohol

sarwils's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Pregnancy

Minor: Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Antisemitism, and Alcohol