Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

The Good Samaritan by John Marrs

4 reviews

megan_wy's review

dark tense 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

2.5

This was my second John Marrs novel, and I loved the first one I read by him! However, this one was a little more of a let down for me. The dark concept was really intriguing to me and started out super strong. I was fully invested in the story in the beginning, but as the novel went on, I began to lose interest. There were so many characters to keep track of that I began to confuse some of the side plots and people. I also feel parts became unrealistic when Laurel began actually killing people in real life. Her whole MO was that she encouraged people to kill themselves, not actually murder people. Also, when Tony killed Johnny at the end, it really made me annoyed. It felt out of character for both of them, like the author was reaching. I did like how Effie got revenge at the end. I really felt for Ryan and wish he got a better ending than that. I know Marrs likes an unhappy ending though after reading two of his books, so I guess this was suspected. I liked the concept for sure and parts were very interesting and kept me invested. Overall, I’d give this about 2.5 stars. I would love to read another Marrs book still and see if I feel the same way.

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, and Pregnancy

paigie_pie's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Infidelity, Pedophilia, and Kidnapping

jlcannon's review

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.5

This book is depressing… there is absolutely no brevity in it and it feels very one note. That being said, after about 150 pages of thorough reading I switched to skimming and actually enjoyed the rest of the book. If you can get over the soul-crushing subject matter and events, there’s some fun twists and turns in it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Rape

the_reader_mommy's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-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

Laura Morris is such a diabolical character. I wouldn't want to cross paths with her...ever.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Suicide

Moderate: Alcoholism

Minor: Violence