Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole

54 reviews

shaun_dh's review against another edition

challenging dark funny informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail

passionatereader78's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful tense fast-paced

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

4.0

If you liked Ace of Spade by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé you will like this book.  It's an emotional read! Well written and powerful.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Murder, and Classism

Minor: Infidelity, Vomit, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

bringitona's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Slavery, Terminal illness, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Minor: Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism

tey_lynn's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense 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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism

callidoralblack's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Cancer, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Deportation

rcarr14's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Racism, Slavery, Police brutality, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Minor: Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Deportation

lianathereader's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, and Colonisation

Moderate: Addiction, Emotional abuse, Gore, Police brutality, Stalking, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Drug use and Suicide

ohyeahshebomb's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

4.5

Definitely recommend. This thriller tackles some very prominent hurdles for the Black community (check trigger warnings if you think this may be too much for you). There was a perfect mix of suspense and character descriptors (not really development, but more so peeling back their layers).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Racial slurs, and Racism

hollywobble's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Drug use, Terminal illness, Torture, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Deportation

Minor: Animal cruelty, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

yourbookishbff'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? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

When the reality of gentrification is a horror story, it makes a compelling premise for a thriller. Cole weaves together a story that should feel impossibly evil and calculated, but every time the reader is tempted to think so, she points again to history - it happened here, and here, and here. I enjoyed the dual POV, and Cole's use of Theo's narrative helps to highlight the advantages white people - even in abject poverty - have over Black people and other people of color. Sydney's narrative, meanwhile, is the haunting reminder that the abuse of - and gaslighting of - Black women is far from fiction. My only challenge in this was the pacing in the first half - I struggled to stay invested - and some dialogue that felt flat toward the end and lessened the emotional impact. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Classism