Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Ziggy, Stardust and Me by James Brandon

6 reviews

the_true_monroe's review against another edition

funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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? No

4.25

This book was intense, sad (yet funny), and beautiful. I think despite how much was accomplished and complete/ resolved (and by complete/ resolved, I don’t mean ‘all is well and good’ but ‘okay, that answers that’) I felt there were many other characters I wanted to hear from again. I just feel like there were abrupt ‘tie-offs’ to a few side characters.  

I think the variety of reactions to Jonathan and Web’s stories allows most queer people to relate on some level but it is really interesting to view with the historical and cultural lenses which are more specific to the characters, location and time period. 

I have recently come to love queer historical fiction and books like this are why.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Bullying, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Body shaming, Torture, Violence, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racial slurs, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Medical content, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Genocide, Stalking, War, Abandonment, Drug use, Grief, Outing, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Cultural appropriation

modernmatilda's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Wow, this book. I picked it up on a whim after seeing it on Novel Neighbors bookstagram page. Read the first four pages in the store and couldn't leave without it. 

It took me a minute to get past the over use of 60s slang, but when I got into the emotional scenes with Web and Johnathan, I wouldn't escape the book's pull. I just wanted Web and Johnathan to be happy!!! 

This book made me cry, a lot. I felt big emotions while reading it. There were also scenes that felt just like a David Bowie song. 

I really, really loved it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Antisemitism, Alcoholism, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Alcohol, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death of parent, Drug use, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Violence

foreverinastory's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective 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

This was so good but ow my heart.

Rep: white gay male MC, Native American (Oglala Lakota Nation) gay male love interest, Black biracial cishet female side character, a couple Native American (Oglala Lakota Nation) side characters.

CWs: bullying, homomisia/homophobia, racism, alcoholism, addiction, attempted sexual assault, racial slurs, violence, xenophobia, medical trauma, electroshock therapy, conversion therapy, hate crime, past mentions of police brutality and murder, death of parent, alcohol consumption, drug use, torture, child abuse. Moderate: consensual sexual content, pedophilia, colonisation, emotional abuse, misogyny, transmisia/transphobia. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Drug use, Violence, Medical trauma, Hate crime, Police brutality, Murder, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Bullying, Xenophobia, Medical content, Racial slurs, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Addiction, Torture, and Death of parent

Moderate: Sexual content, Pedophilia, Colonisation, Misogyny, Transphobia, and Emotional abuse

space_bandit's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Racism, and Torture

Moderate: Death of parent, Drug use, Hate crime, Murder, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Self harm, and Colonisation

postal_kat's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Homophobia, and Racism

Moderate: Drug use and Violence

Minor: Pedophilia

ollieshark's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

at first i was unsure of how i'd feel about this novel because of how eccentric johnathan's voice is, but i'm so glad i stuck with it. i have a feeling this one will put me in a funk afterwards because it has so much heavy subject matter, but it's such an important read to understand how unaccepted gay men and native american peoples were even just in the 1970s.

the only thing i wish had been done differently or changed is that content warnings should probably be provided somewhere before chapter one starts. i had no idea what i was going into and i think my thoughts on the novel suffer a little as a result of being bombarded with johnathans's "treatments."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, and Mental illness

Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, and Bullying

Minor: Medical content, Pedophilia, Police brutality, and Vomit

electroshock conversion therapy and its side effects are often mentioned, and a scene in which the main character endures an electroshock treatment is shown. lgbt+/gay slurs also show up on the page.