Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Converses entre amics by Sally Rooney, Núria Parés Sellarés

241 reviews

marissanbullis's review against another edition

emotional reflective relaxing sad slow-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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Chronic illness and Self harm

ivi_reads_books's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.0

This book offers a realistic portrayal of the challenges of being diagnosed with and living with endometriosis. However, at its core, the story revolves around themes of loyalty and betrayal. 

While the masochism and frequent miscommunication was frustrating for me I found it hard to put the book down.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Infidelity, Self harm, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Mental illness

Minor: Alcohol

chris_reads's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Infidelity, and Classism

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Medical content

Minor: Alcoholism, Drug use, and Infertility

samcanuel's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

As with the other Sally Rooney books I’ve read, I am deeply haunted by this book. Rooney’s prose is absolutely beautiful and somehow makes up for how much I hate all of the characters. Life is messy, as is this book. Check the trigger warnings!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Cursing, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Infertility, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy

joensign's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

adri_enne's review against another edition

emotional reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

4.0

Are the characters obnoxious ? Yes.
Selfish? Yes.
Pretentious? Yes. 
But can I also relate to the complexities of navigating self esteem, feelings, relationships, and friendships during early adulthood? Absolutely yes. 

The main characters being intolerable does not make this a bad book! I don’t believe everyone has to be pleasant/charming in order for readers to understand their intricate inner thoughts. I also think that this makes the characters more realistic to me as well. In fact, I think this is intentional on Sally Rooney’s part.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

owenwilsonbaby's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-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

4.75

‘After that I put some cold water on my face and dried it, the same face I had always had, the one I would have until I died.’

I get it guys! I get it. Her written voice is compelling. Even when things got repetitive, I still found the character voices and emotional atmosphere absorbing. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Child abuse, Cursing, Gore, Infertility, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Miscarriage and Pregnancy

jaklyn_heath_reads's review against another edition

4.0

This was a tough read for a few different reasons. 
At first, I really didn’t like any of the characters. But I soon came to appreciate the story that Sally Rooney was telling. 
Do I like the characters now that I’ve finished the book? Not really. They have a lot of flaws and make some questionable decisions that I didn’t understand but that I could appreciate as they were consistent with their characterization. 

Next, the tough topics. This novel discusses themes of adultery, mental health crises, self-harm, endometriosis, and sexuality. It isn’t easy to read a character going through excruciating pain, or disassociating, or cheating on their wife. 

The ending. It leaves things unresolved almost like a cliff hanger. I don’t know if I liked the ending. I wish the characters got some sort of closure. Scratch that. I wish I got some sort of closure.
 
Jaklyn, it sounds like you didn’t like the book. Why did you give it 4 stars? 
I loved the storytelling. I wanted to keep reading (or listening in my case). I wanted to know if the bad decisions were going to cause some sort of karma event to take place. I wanted to know how everything would blow up or fall apart or somehow stay together. I wanted to see growth in the characters (there was some). I was committed to the story. And Rooney has a way of telling a story. It felt real and raw and completely believable. I was enthralled. 

Will this be one of my favourite books of all time? No. But I do see myself thinking about for a long while. I think I liked Normal People better, but this was very good too. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity

Moderate: Mental illness, Self harm, and Toxic relationship

rtjasa's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-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? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship

cerealsiren's review against another edition

emotional reflective relaxing sad 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? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Rape, and Self harm

Moderate: Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship