Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler

7 reviews

cait's review

challenging dark emotional funny 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria

zygomatic's review against another edition

emotional 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

1.0

There are some promising sentences in this novel, suggestive of a better book in the future by this author. But the majority of this is so poorly written I couldn't take it anymore. I almost gave up multiple times, literally ready to close it out a final time five pages from the end. Having parentheses constantly, exclamation marks for everything, repeating the same phrases in parentheses with exclamation marks, cliche phrases and melodramatic writing, writing first and last names all the time, mentioning Disney an absurd, gross amount. I think the author believes that foreshadowing is saying exactly what's going to happen. The characters and story are so bad that I wondered if anything unexpected happens that justifies its popularity. I guess it plays into the editor scene? Lots of pop culture references, including songs? Tons of shit lib virtue signaling? I'm at a loss. This reads like a preteen's diary entries.

Adelaide spiraling over someone she doesn't know at all is so stupid and cringe to read. Also, physically bumping into people as a plot point? No.

Some stupid highlights:
"(Peed! Her! Pants!)" (page 140)
"How little she knew." (page 142)
"finally (finally!)" (page 144)
"But in a few days, the world would be ending" (page 147)
"There's another version of this story. One in which ___ lives, and the world continues turning." ( page 148)
"It wasn't meant to happen like this. Nothing was meant to happen like this." (page 165)
"Adelaide, as we know, was not afraid of Death." (page 181)
"It should be noted that Adelaide had barely slept in months, not since ___ death." (page 210)
"It was a series of unfortunate events, really, that led Adelaide to the moment. It wasn't her fault, you see, because the train was delayed. There were leaves on the track. It was the train's fault, honestly. And the leaves! (At least, this is what she'd try to tell herself. [...])" (page 234)
"Adelaide knew. Well, she didn't know. She had no idea what was coming, really." (page 237)
"Adelaide had no idea that in two days, she was going to try to kill herself." (page 241) 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Gaslighting, and Dysphoria

Minor: Bullying, Death, Infidelity, Self harm, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Dysphoria

kimveach's review

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

I had a lot of different feelings while reading this book, though not as many as Adelaide had! At times, I wanted to shake some sense into her, but it also brought back memories of starting a career and becoming an adult in my twenties. The book's last third was the most nuanced and enjoyable to read. I appreciated Adelaide's mental health journey, though I was frustrated by how easily and inexpensively it was for Adelaide to receive help. Ultimately, I couldn't help but love her character and struggles.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol

emmas_bookshelf's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective 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

5.0

I think this last sentence from the official synopsis sums up the book really well: “With unflinching honesty and heart, this relatable debut from a fresh new voice explores grief and mental health while capturing the timeless nature of what it’s like to be young and in love—with your friends, with your city, and with a person who cannot, will not, love you back.”

In my opinion this book is first and foremost about living with mental illness and struggling with mental health, and second about love, in all it’s forms - platonic and romantic. Adelaide has a wonderful support system that sees her through love, loss, heartbreak, and more. I fell in love with Adelaide and I think you will too.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

Minor: Cursing, Eating disorder, and Vomit

jengro778's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

Literally a therapy session in a book. An incredible insight into mental illness and trauma bonding. A very realistic portrayal of a person with trauma and how it weaves its way through everyday life.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

sarahsbookstacks's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.5

This book was incredibly sad, breathtaking, and important. The topics discussed are very serious and readers should take care before starting.

Thanks to Netgalley and Libro.fm for the advanced copies! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Sexual assault and Car accident

booksinherhead's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

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

5.0

Truly extraordinary. A new favorite sneaking in right before the end of the year! Full review TK. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

Moderate: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, and Car accident