Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

24 reviews

lotoblanco's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Eating disorder, Rape, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death

gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

The Details:
Narrated by Emily Woo Zeller
Unabridged 

This was such an entertaining read. The relationships, both toxic and pure, was such a fantastic study of high school life, but added in sinister atmosphere with the whole possession plot (which reminded me of Jennifers Body mid way through).

It wasn't really that scary but the scene with Good Boy Max the dog made me feel sick.

The manipulation of Gretchen as she became deeper consumed by her demon was interesting to see, especially when no one else could see what was happening other that Abby.

I thought the ending about friendship was so sad and true and it wrapped up perfectly, with closure, as I like my stories to do.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Homophobia, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

mtnest's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gore, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

Minor: Addiction and Mass/school shootings

demon possession

liahopkins's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

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

5.0

This review contains slight spoilers!

I loved this book! It was funny, wholesome, at some points sad, grotesque (the worm scene) and even scary, but not true horror. The focus was more on the friendship between the protagonists, Abby and Gretchen. It was such an amazing depiction of intense platonic love (so intense that I wished it turned into romance at times, but I'm actually pretty glad it didn't), especially the ending was so touching. 
I also loved how the author picked up on classic horror tropes, but twisted them to make them more fun (for example the exorcist not being an old priest, but a gym bro in his 20s; or the ending of the exorcism scene). 
The overall makeup of the book is also amazing. The cover is so unique, as well as the dedication in the beginning, the authors note, and the fact that all the chapter titles are song titles. It was so fun listening to the playlist while reading; it really helped to feel those 80s vibes, and I also ended up finding some new songs to add to my own playlists.
Overall, I really, really enjoyed this book, even though it's not the kind of genre I usually read. I already bought another one of the author's books, and I can't wait to start it.

(PS: I recommend to check the content warnings if there are some things that upset you (like vomit. a lot of vomit.))

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Eating disorder, Torture, and Vomit

Moderate: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Addiction and Drug use

thehhugg's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Eating disorder, Gore, Self harm, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Addiction, Body shaming, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Alcohol, and Classism

gfue's review against another edition

dark funny sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship

the_comfy_cosy_corner's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

juliamb's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Vomit, and Abortion

Moderate: Addiction, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Toxic friendship

mallory10100's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

based on the cover, i expected this to be a campy fun horror, but it was actually quite disturbing. pay attention to content warnings!! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Gun violence

Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Infertility, Racism, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , War, and Classism

i recommend this for spooky season!!

littlefemur's review against another edition

2.25

This book could have been amazing if it hadn’t resorted to cheap tricks like taking on the problematic language of the 80s. How unimaginative do you have to be to take us back into the past by using fucked up language? It was so hard to enjoy the story because fairly often I was jolted out of it by poor choices from a white man writing in 2016. 

 Here’s a sampling:
AIDS jokes

Weird gross sexualizing of a Black woman and making her a joke

Jokes about brain damage 

Using the r word
A retro version of “no homo”: dearly but not queerly

Queer as slur

“Spazzing” out and “spaz” - this one was everywhere 

AIDS jokes

Blackface

Sitting Indian style

Slave day

Casual fatphobia

“You look like an Ethiopian” to someone who’d lost a bunch of weight. 

 
So edgy. Wait no, I meant unimaginative and disappointing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit

Moderate: Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, and Alcohol

Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Sexism, and Religious bigotry