Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Impulse by Ellen Hopkins

7 reviews

dizpig's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, Dysphoria, and Classism

Minor: Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Abortion, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Pregnancy

jordan_noel's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

1.75

There were a lot of moments I really loved in this book, but they always got ruined by the extremely sexed-up characters. Potentially serious discussions about suicidal ideation and the characters’ trauma gets overshadowed by the unnecessary and overly sexual relationships between the three main characters. Characters didn’t seem to care about each other beyond romantic attraction and there wasn’t much personality in them aside from their mental illness. Characters seemed to be attracted to each other solely because of their mental illness, appearance, and just plain presence.

Additionally, the characters just didn’t feel that different to me. They spoke the same and unless I was really paying attention to who’s talking or the character was explaining something about their past, I often had no idea which one was talking.

Lastly, I had some qualms about the way the facility and the therapists were portrayed. Was the facility juvie or a mental center? The therapists felt like they were brainwashing the patients rather than trying to help them and it wasn’t portrayed too negatively. While I feel Ellen Hopkins writes about the emotions of the more extreme difficulties of life effectively, I don’t think she handles the healing part so well. It just felt unrealistic and aimless, both for the characters that had happy endings and somehow also those that didn’t.

I felt that this book had the potential to be really great, but these parts just kind of ruined it for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Death of parent

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Abandonment

beccam22's review

dark emotional reflective sad 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

Read this if you like:
🥀🖤 Dark truthful stories
👪👯‍♀️ Found Family


🛑Please read triggers warnings ⚠️

Ellen Hopkins is known for beautiful dark stories and this is nothing less than that. Written in verse, so much is said and conveyed with the lest amount of words and it cuts deep.  Three teenagers go through a treatment program after attempting suicide, each for their own reasons and their own way. They find friendship and love and what is love.

These can be possible spoilers but I feel like it’s needed for some people in depth the possible triggers are: 
 There are detailed descriptions of self harm and suicidal thoughts. All main characters did attempt suicide and it is described in the very beginning how each of them attempted. There is detailed adult/minor relationships as well as rape and grooming. Can be considered forced institutionalization since all main characters are minors and family is requiring them to attend the treatment center. There is a character with bipolar and family history of bipolar, the history does go in depth and how it effected them growing up. There is a character who has an abortion and the guilt from it. There are absent parents, both military and simply leaving for a better life. There are parents who expect perfection and the pressure that comes with that. There is a successful suicide. Please do not read this if you are not in a good head space. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy

These can be possible spoilers but I feel like it’s needed for some people in depth the possible triggers are: There are detailed descriptions of self harm and suicidal thoughts. All main characters did attempt suicide and it is described in the very beginning how each of them attempted. There is detailed adult/minor relationships as well as rape and grooming. Can be considered forced institutionalization since all main characters are minors and family is requiring them to attend the treatment center. There is a character with bipolar and family history of bipolar, the history does go in depth and how it effected them growing up. There is a character who has an abortion and the guilt from it. There are absent parents, both military and simply leaving for a better life. There are parents who expect perfection and the pressure that comes with that. There is a successful suicide. Please do not read this if you are not in a good head space.

urmom456's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

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

The characters in this book are the products of their mental illnesses and trauma. They have no personalities, their personalities are their disorder/truama.

The one gay character is “fixed” by “turning straight” which I find disgusting. And as my review on Goodreads says, this is basically ‘If You Give a Mouse a Cookie’ but instead it’s ‘If You Put a Suicidal Teenager on Top of a Cliff’.

Absolutely hated it, there was hardly any actual plot. No wonder it took me 4 years to even finish it.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment

Minor: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

wama's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Minor: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Abortion, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

The romance subplot felt forced and unnecessary to me but other than that it was a good book. The ending left me shattered

brookey8888's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

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

5.0

4.5
This book is honestly really depressing, but important. Check content warnings because this is dark and it talks about a lot of things. I changed it from a full five to a 4.4 because I felt like some of the things said were a little problematic. For example a character said the only thing that could save her was being in love and as this is YA I just am not fully comfortable with that. Other then a few some things it still holds up and I love that it’s written in verse. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

shakiral's review against another edition

"I do trust Tony. But why? A gay guy, from the wrong side of town, who I only met a few weeks ago?"
A guy who thinks he's gay realizing he's straight in a mental institution and falling for this bitch, no thanks.  I've read worse, but I just don't like it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Biphobia, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Dementia, and Grief

First time I go "This book was writen by a white straight woman" and what do you know a I was right.