Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

39 reviews

laura_nel13's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense medium-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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Drug use, Eating disorder, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Infidelity, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Classism

kirsty_irwin's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gore, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Rape and Mass/school shootings

hxlleann's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting

Minor: Bullying, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Excrement, Mass/school shootings, and Alcohol

celery's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Lesbophobia, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

whatsgoingonrnhelp's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gore, Rape, Vomit, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Eating disorder, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, and Classism

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, and Pregnancy

writewithapendragon's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

I love Grady Hendrix’s writing and stories but I wish he could complete a book without including sexual assault. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Eating disorder, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical content, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Blood, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Mass/school shootings, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Genre-typical content for a horror book, hits a lot of 80s slasher tropes and some gore.

peskilanim's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Rape, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Drug use

kellygracejackson's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? N/A

2.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

jerbarger's review against another edition

dark 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? Yes

3.75

At first, MY BEST FRIENDS EXORCISM really annoyed me because it felt like a man writing about teenage girls (which it is, obviously, but there often comes this sort of tone and misunderstanding of what it is to be a teenage girl—and sometimes even this underlying dislike). 

I also didn’t appreciate all the casual racism and references to sexual assault. I see what Hendrix was trying to do and set the picture of the South, but it wasn’t ever really indicted? Like it seemed he did not approve from the tone of the main character when she mentioned these things but it was totally glossed over and also THERE WERE ONLY WHITE PEOPLE, so tell me how this improves the conversation? It doesn’t. And it almost made me stop reading the book. 

With all of that being said, it is a rather interesting and unique coming-of-age story. Her best friend is possessed by a demon, but who’s the real monster? The adults who don’t believe children? Society? Classism? The way Abby goes from feeling like a child to having the understanding that we are all truly alone in this world is devastating. And that’s what MY BEST FRIEND’S EXORCISM did best. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Cultural appropriation, and Alcohol

fromtheyellowchair's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

2.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Ableism and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Gun violence, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Religious bigotry