Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

482 reviews

gwenswoons's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Just so beyond magnificent — one of my favorites ever ever. I avoided this for a long time because it got so much buzz and love (a toxic trait of mine, haha — I hate being told what to read/watch/do/eat), and when I finally gave in and began listening to this on audio it was that amazing, rare feeling of  sinking into a book you instantly know you will love forever. I read a lot of rom-coms, all on audio, and I love many of them; bht this is in the top top of all. The writing is just so beautiful, the character development so nuanced and tender, the love story so complex and so gorgeously scaffolded on top of a miraculous web of relationships and characters  and dynamics and plot that is just truly masterful.

It was cathartic and heartbreaking to read this in and around this awful and enraging presidential election — a liberal fantasy (à la West Wing, but for the modern age, without all the sexism and Islamophobia and other crap) — this love story about the son of the first woman president (😭), and Texas going blue, et al. It was a lot and it finally (thank god — needed it) got me sobbing instead of just dissociating and feeling numb. Partially because of the fantasy of it all and the grief my communities and I feel over the election, and partly because the storytelling and the love story here are simply so profound and so truly heart-stopping. Ramón de Ocampo’s narration was just so magnificent, too — tender and funny and full of love and beauty. I cannot wait to read more Casey McQuiston.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Bullying, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

shinyfox's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

Funny, cute and heartwarming. There were a few times I teared up. The Narrator was great! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Homophobia, Outing, and Alcohol

Moderate: Biphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Grief

Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Medical content, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

megaptera23's review against another edition

funny inspiring lighthearted slow-paced

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

3.5

After the hype around the movie and the book I was a little disappointed. 
The story is quite detailed and moves very slow. I didn't like that after the boys discover their love, so much attention is put on how their love develops. Nothing else, the side storues built in the beginning, mattered anymore. One can argue that when love struck that is what happens, I stil would have preferred more story and less sexting.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, and Alcohol

Moderate: Alcoholism and Drug abuse

Minor: Death of parent

clara_h39's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

5.0

This book is one of the few BookTok books that deserves all of the hype. Genuinely one of the best written contemporary novels I’ve read this year; the author has a beautiful way with words, humor and wit, emotional vulnerability, and the ability to keep me on the edge of my seat reading about politics for gods sake. Henry and Alex and the supporting characters are wonderfully fleshed out; very realistic relationship and sexuality development. A MUST READ!!! And likely will reread time and time again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Homophobia, and Outing

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Terminal illness, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent

fkshg8465's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad medium-paced

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

5.0

I’ve got to stop staying up so late to finish my books! I am again up at 2:00 am because I want to finish a book instead of going to bed. And yes, this was good enough to do that to me.

I was reluctant to read this because I have found the romance genre to be too often too cringey or too saccharine. This one was thankfully neither. This book is better than any Disney princess book. This is my perfect fairytale, and it pleases me greatly that Texas, where I live and vote, was a key setting. And it pleases me further that this fairytale is for every LGBTQ+ heart out there. And it pleases me most that so many hetero fans love this story just as it is, because they recognize that love is love.

My only gripe is about the upcoming movie - how dare they cut out June from the script!! Her relationship with Alex is so important…deeply annoyed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Biphobia, Bullying, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Outing, and Sexual harassment

nevermoregothic's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia and Sexual content

Minor: Drug abuse, Racism, and Sexual assault

itsjayprobaby's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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

5.0

This is the book I needed to read years ago, back when I was a teenager struggling with my sexuality and gender identity.  Now, a couple of months off thirty, this book felt healing.  
A queer love story with believable, lovable, complex characters that takes balances just the right mix of drama and heartache and joy and hope.

There is definitely some reliance on predictable romance tropes, but I found it nice to view them from a queer perspective, and smiled and laughed and cried along with Alex and Henry the whole way through.

It's lovely to read a book that provides inclusion to so many without making it feel tokenistic, and where the queer characters get a happy ending.

Is it a literary masterpiece?  No.  But it's well written all the same, and culturally so important for all the young queer people out there that I can't give it anything less than 5*

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Terminal illness, and Death of parent

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Cancer, Drug abuse, and Sexual violence

meggiemeggie52's review against another edition

funny lighthearted 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Outing

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Drug abuse, Racism, and Sexual assault

leannanecdote's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Outing, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Sexual assault

treehugger_143's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Outing, and Alcohol

Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Homophobia, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Outing, and Alcohol