Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

132 reviews

wymzie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, and Death of parent

ceej_aye's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

4.25

For a book that is largely a commentary on the slasher genre and Final Girls, there are moments where it falls prey to the cliches that are so prevalent in slashers that I was able to clock them pretty early. Overall, I really enjoyed the book. It was a thrilling descent into madness with the gratification that maybe they weren’t mad at all. The feeling of being consistently gaslit and unsure of what to trust or where to look adds tremendously to the themes and feelings of the characters. I wish the ensemble was more present earlier in the book, but they were all well thought out characters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Car accident, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

deannahall14's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse and Murder

Minor: Suicide

lotoblanco's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

haileyhardcover's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious tense fast-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

5.0

You know how you watch a horror movie and you find yourself yelling at the characters on screen? “OH, SHIT! RUN, GIRL, RUN!” No… just me? Ok. Well, that was my experience reading this book as well lol It is SO GOOD and SO hard to put down! I am sad that I started it late in the day on Sunday because if I hadn’t had long days at work yesterday and today, I absolutely would’ve blown through this entire book in one sitting. It had me hooked from page 1! Easily my favorite Hendrix I’ve read so far. 

Since I recently read Final Girls by Riley Sager, I wanted to read TFGSG relatively soon after to compare the takes on the final girl premise. Both books explore a group of final girls under threat again, but that’s where the similarities end. Sager’s Final Girls was much more of a psychological thriller, where as Hendrix’s TFGSG is more action packed and campy-leaning horror. Though I really enjoyed Final Girls, TFGSG takes the cake for me. Both are five star reads, but I was more invested in and excited by TFGSG. I especially loved the added bonus material at the end of every chapter - interview notes, movie reviews, journal entries - it gave just enough extra information for context but in a fun and quickly digestible way. The titles of the chapters aligning with the progression of titles in a typical slasher film franchise was also a beautiful touch. 

One tiny critique - Dr. Carol needs a HIIPA refresher course. You cannot just go around introducing people as your patients, Dr. Carol! Jeez! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Drug abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Ableism, Bullying, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

makabra's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol

beccah1610's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Sexual violence, and Murder

mkwreads's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

goatieboi's review against another edition

I hate this book. I don’t like the main character at all and a main character is allowed to be unlikable but this was just unbearable. The way she talked about her supposed ‘friends’ was disgusting. The way she spoke about Heather’s drug addiction was disgusting. The casual fatphobia was unnecessary, the constant ableism and demonization of mental illness’ was so… antithetical to the purpose of this book which is to deconstruct this genre right??? 

The little easter eggs were lazy. I get this is supposed to pay respects to the slasher greats but there is a way to do that in a less overt lemme change some small things and put it in my book. 

Also the way this man writes women is just misogynistic full stop.  Lynn is fleshed out…I guess…. but the other girls are not and the one and only black woman was killed off screen. Also said black woman didn’t try to make sure the main girl in her franchise was black too? Like be fricken for real!

I think I’m so mad because the idea is awesome! I would love to read a book about deconstructing societies obsession with women’s suffering. This is just not the book and not the author to do it. 

Also its so weird to say that an 8 year old boy is going to grow up to be predatory towards women. Thats legit so fucking gross bro. 

0 stars. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse and Violence

lucy_readsbooks13's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

2.75

It was a decent thriller. 
I'm a chicken when it comes to scary books, and this was perfect for me. It's not very scary, and it has a fast-paced plot which doesn't allow for carefully built-up jump scares. 
The main character was both insufferable and very easy to empathize with. I understood her ways and her reasons, but from time to time she was as interesting as a wet sponge and as likable as one of the "Monsters".
The plot was interesting, I quite liked that final e-mail, it juxtaposed two different times and "trends" in crime. The past is not told through a dual timeline but the reader is told about them, and it's supported by different reports, news articles, movie reviews, etc. and I really. 
Slasher movies are the only horror movies I'm brave enough to watch so this premise really intrigued me, and parts of it were very well executed.
I managed to guess certain aspects of the ending, and my edition has some grammar and spelling mistakes. I don't think it's intentional because they are not constant enough though. There have also been certain problems with continuity, like a character leaves something behind but has it again three pages later. miscommunication is one of the tropes I can't stand, and unfortunately, it was abused here. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Drug abuse, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Grief