Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Five Total Strangers by Natalie D. Richards

13 reviews

trin_16's review against another edition

mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.5

It's like the breakfast club combined with a whodunnit! This book is suspenseful and mysterious and though the plot wasn't too "new" or different, the ending still took me by surprise because you know just enough for the story to possibly go in many different directions. 
It was a quick read and definitely one I enjoyed - and one that was great for easing into spooky season. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Car accident, and Alcohol

peeshpish's review against another edition

mysterious tense fast-paced

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

1.0

i hated this book but i read the whole thing just to see how it ended so i guess it isnt a zero

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Alcohol

shmayjoy's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.25

This novel reminds me of every awful time I've ever had to sleep under a charging station in an airport. If, like past me and a million other traveling students, you have ever had to face the usual miserable "delayed due to a blizzard" winter break lay overs, you can easily slide into the protagonist's shoes...even if you would never accept the ride she decided on.
Five Perfect Strangers takes an ordinary teen who needs to get home to her mom for the holidays, and the four college students heading the same direction. Richards throws us into the back roads of Pennsylvania to remind us not to trust a person solely by their appearance.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, and Murder

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcohol

wrensreadingroom's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

chasingpages1's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Grief, and Stalking

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Car accident

Minor: Blood and Alcohol

darkwolf28's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

This was a surprisingly good and quick read. Did not expect that much suspense from a YA thriller read, had me guessing until the end. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Blood, Grief, Stalking, and Car accident

Minor: Cancer, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Violence, and Alcohol

morganperks's review against another edition

mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.5

lots of things don't add up.

still don't get how that one hitchhiker kept finding them. where was Josh hiding their stuff? and whatever happened to the kid they ran over? like I'm sure the dad is itching to kill them all...ya know? for revenge. are they not charged with attempted murder or theft at least? did Josh know the flights were going to be canceled?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Blood, and Medical content

Minor: Gun violence, Vomit, and Alcohol

annelihghh's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

sunshine8473773's review against another edition

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Stalking, and Car accident

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Grief

Minor: Alcohol

imlaurenshelton's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

had no intention of reading through this book so quickly but was able to knock it out in one sitting! The hook is just good enough to keep your attention throughout the story. This is a young adult thriller, with some gore-ish depictions throughout but I would say it’s a pretty enjoyable book. Especially for those more inclined to true crime and mysteries. I was actually very surprised by the ending, totally buying into the character’s mindset throughout the book (well with a few exceptions). The final chapters of the book may be disturbing to some readers, as they involve death, stalking, violence, and drug use. In the end, Mira learns to listen to what her Father told her on the phone: Always trust your gut.

im rating this a 4.5 because it is a great thrill read but did include some disturbing content that may not be well-suited for teens. I think if death and injuries make you queasy this book may not be for you, I’d be happy to recommend a less gruesome thriller for you, just let me know! This book was a fun read, but not worth a purchase for me, a one and done for sure.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Stalking, and Car accident

Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Gun violence, and Violence

Minor: Medical content and Alcohol

The story follows a teenage girl trying to make it home to her mother on Christmas Eve when the last leg of her flight is cancelled. She decides to hitch a ride home with four strangers after the girl she sat next to on the plane offers her a spot for free. (BTW there is mention of turbulence but no plane crash.) The weather gets increasingly worse throughout the book, and Mira’s nerves are making her increasingly antsy because she feels like someone is watching her, and he is. There are letters written to Mira from the stalker’s perspective throughout the book. Along the ride, mishaps continue and violence ensues. There are car accidents, theft, drug abuse and addiction, and death. In one scene, an unfortunate incident involves running a young man over, it is unknown if he survived. Another man chases the car full of strangers around, toting a gun and threatening them, which leaves them with an ominous feeling, There are a few scenes that take place in hospitals but none are gruesome or overbearing. The final chapters of the book may be disturbing to some readers, as they involve death, stalking, violence, and drug use.