Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

21 reviews

lmjones's review against another edition

I got about half way. It took me a minute to get interested in the story from the get-go, so I actually started watching the mini-series to see if it would spark more interest or if the story just wasn't going to be my jam. It did spark interest. I like seeing the difference between the original novel and the adaptation, but in the end, finishing the mini-series (I don't care about spoilers, so this wasn't a big deal to me) cemented my decision to not finish the book. I loved aspects of it - obsessed with the portrayal of an artist at work that actually felt based in reality, good character development, excellent writing - but overall, I felt like it was just going to be too depressing to finish with multiple messed up mother-daughter relationships, so much self-righteousness, and without much hope of redemption or repair. The book does touch on motherhood being difficult and the way traumatic events related to motherhood can effect the future relationships with the children involved in that trauma. I would say that's what the story ends up being about. But I personally appreciate a little more merciful writing for all the women trying to be mothers and messing it up along the way. I craved reconciliation for Elena and her children, and even between MayLing's biological mother and her adoptive parents (which by the way, this story feels pretty insensitive to the adoptive parent community.) It just seemed like there was no hope for moving forward. Not my kind of fiction. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Miscarriage, Abortion, and Abandonment

_fallinglight_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Medical content, Abortion, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Ableism, Cursing, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Classism

natfoster's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Kidnapping and Abortion

Minor: Sexual content

madelinequinnee's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

Wow, this was incredible. 

I think this book did a really good job of reflecting how a lot of people in this day and age think. There are a lot of Mrs Richardsons in this world, women who think they’re very open minded and ‘woke’ for lack of better word, but deep down have the same prejudices as openly racist or classist people. We hear how she supposedly believed everyone was equal, yet she had many opinions on Bebe and her situation that could be seen as microaggressions. She also white knighted herself when it first came to Pearl and Mia, how she thought renting the house out to ‘lesser fortunate’ people was her doing a big good deed for the world, and then basically forcing Mia to take the housekeeper job since she couldn’t see how working at the restaurant on minimum wage could be fulfilling to anyone. 

I personally found Lexie becoming one of my favourite characters by the end of the book. To begin with, she seemed like your typical shallow, rich teen girl who only cared about superficial things, but as we got to know her, we saw how smart and emotionally intelligent she was. Her abortion story was heartbreaking but one that mirrors a lot of young girls from her background own’s. We got to see her grow and become more understanding to other people’s situations after going through her own troubles, and I think that was really interesting. 

I think Moody is a good example of the ‘sensitive, art type’ who is really just an incel behind that act. The way he reacted when he thought Pearl was the one who had an abortion really showed his true colours. 

Overall i think this was a wonderful book! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infertility, Mental illness, Racism, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Classism

texashippie's review against another edition

reflective tense medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion

Moderate: Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, and Kidnapping

jimboy's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage and Abortion

Moderate: Toxic relationship

atalea's review against another edition

mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Pregnancy

Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, and Abortion

Minor: Grief, Stalking, and Cultural appropriation

shlymiller's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic friendship

luananki's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective 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

5.0

way too many things i loved about little fires everywhere that i can’t put into words right now but one of the aspects i appreciated the most was that it is a book written with so many teenage characters in it where it wasn’t all about sex and alcohol. 
also the writing!! and the characters and the topic itself made everything just so much more real and relatable and i loved it

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Miscarriage, and Abortion

Moderate: Racism, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism

Minor: Grief, Car accident, and Alcohol

maggievanningen's review against another edition

emotional mysterious 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment