Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai

71 reviews

sareeta's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-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? It's complicated

2.5

This was somewhat entertaining but I was always waiting for it to get better or for something to happen. I also disliked the way it seems to propose that forcing people to talk about their

assaults or experiences with abusers

in court even when they don’t want to is the “right” thing to do. It also felt predictable and obvious, and I got bored. There were many times I wanted to stop reading but kept going because I wanted to see what would happen.

It wasn’t worth it.  I’ll probably try The Great Believers someday but not for a while…

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Child death, Death, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Racism, Self harm, Blood, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic

dkamada's review against another edition

informative mysterious reflective

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Alcohol

lpdx's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-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: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child death, Death, Eating disorder, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic

ivi_reads_books's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

This murder mystery is filled with unlikable characters, each driven by their own motivations. I enjoyed the ending which I didn't see coming. 

Julia Whelan, as always, delivers an excellent performance as the audiobook narrator. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Drug use, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: Sexual assault

elderwoodreads's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

I feel like in different hands this book could've been doing too much and felt all over the place, but it was not. It was perfectly balanced and was such a great story. While I found some parts a little over the top, it was far and few between for this genre. I also felt like this book resonated with me and had more takeaways than books in the same genre. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Misogyny, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Racism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Body shaming, Cancer, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Xenophobia, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Alcohol

sgrifgirl's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Racism, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic

fuguballoon's review against another edition

dark slow-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

1.5

I can sum up my opinion of this book in two words: "bloated" and "snoozy." For many more words, see below.

I'm happy for Rebecca Makkai that she's reached the level of success where she doesn't get edited anymore, but it massively sucks for her readers. This book was way too long, with nothing to show for it. There was so much navel-gazing that did not enhance the plot or characters. There were so many named characters who did not need to be named, it was hard to keep track of everyone (easily 25 with big speaking parts, where 10-15 is average).

With all of that extra material floating around, you'd think there'd be an interesting twist nestled in there somewhere, but there wasn't. The whole thing was predictable from the first time the murder was described in detail. I hoped that the choice to have Bodie talking to someone would ultimately lead to something compelling, but it didn't.

Bodie being a crummy person didn't bother me as much as other readers, but I was put off by Makkai's MeToo subplot. I am old enough to remember being extremely online in 2018, and the whole thing was unrealistic to me. I agree with the other reviewers who said her Makkai's engagement with the serious issues in this book (criminal justice, racism, etc) are superficial.

Lastly, and because I haven't seen it written about on here, I am getting tired of able-bodied authors writing about people cheating on their disabled spouses using language that makes it seem like it's okay because the spouse is sick, with no interrogation or examination of the characters' ableism. I don't care if it's supposed to make us dislike a character--it's lazy character building and gross.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Cancer, Child death, Death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gore, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Drug use, Grief, Gaslighting, and Classism

sabrielsbell's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

4.5

This was pretty close to a 5 star for me! I listened to it on audiobook and really enjoyed the narrator. I was so invested in figuring out what happened and how it would all tie together! I could have done without the husband vs old fling side plot....it felt unnecessary to the point of distraction.  Also, the ending was not my style but overall I burned through this!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Cancer, Drug use, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, and Alcohol

naluju's review against another edition

I read for enjoyment. This is not enjoyable. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Murder, and Alcohol

leaxhue's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol