Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

274 reviews

kalefactory's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Stalking, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Eating disorder, Gore, Racism, Self harm, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

hen518468's review against another edition

mysterious tense fast-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

4.75

I loved this audiobook. I listened to the entire thing in one sitting because I simply had to know how it ended, and the twists were fantastic. A great thriller that keeps you guessing the whole time

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

lucyford's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

Ugh, I’m so glad I finally read this after years of it being recommended to me! It 1000% lived up to the hype. I loved the main characters, the fun formatting of the book, the writing, the humour, and the unpredictability of the plot. There were so many moving pieces in the story, and I think the author is a genius for how she made it work out so cleanly. The only reasons it’s not a full 5 stars for me are that (a) Pip can be a bit (very) ridiculously stubborn at times, and (b) I was never pushed to the point of tears or throwing my book. I still loved it and am very happy with the ending.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Car accident, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

keeleyannefai's review against another edition

dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

saraduarte's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring mysterious 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? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Animal death, Kidnapping, and Car accident

allyyy18's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

tayreads10's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious sad 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? No

5.0

LOVED this book so much! I couldn't put it down and finished it within a day! Can't wait to read the rest of the series! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Drug use, Rape, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, and Murder

bookishkale's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Fun read! I think I like YA for thriller/mysteries because it helps to keep things a little more lighthearted. I loved the formatting of this book, and honestly, would have liked it more if it was all in first person because Pip in her capstone entries is such a compelling character and sometimes when it was third person I felt like she was a bit muddled. It helped that Pip herself seemed aware that she didn’t really know who she was either, so I didn’t stress too much. The mystery was compelling, and I let myself be guiding by Pip, trying to not see too much into it. I wasn’t surprised by the ending but boy was it just kinda heartbreaking! Ravi was a great addition, and I’m a little weirded out by their romance bc of the ages but I can look past it :) I’m interested in the next book, and hoping that pip’s voice only gets stronger! 

Be wary of the content warnings: a lot of triggers aren’t really described in detail but they are mentioned a lot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Suicide, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

weirdemosrus's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Cursing, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Body shaming and Eating disorder

greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Thinking about a dead girl is so much easier than thinking about myself.

I’ve had this book on my radar for years. When my book club picked this book, I was so ready to read this book my students have been raving about for years. Quick take?: I loved this. I devoured it. What a fantastic mystery for young readers. 

It’s no secret to anyone that talks to me regularly to know that me picking up a book to read is virtually unheard of these days. Yet, I devoured this book in less than a week, reading half of it one day at the zoo. (I’m so thankful for a summer job that allows me to get paid to read some days). I was completely invested in Pip’s journey and figuring out who really killed Andie and Sal. My money was on the newspaper reporter because he was sketchy af but I was so wrong. I did not see all of the twists and turns and was pleasantly surprised by how this book ended. I figured a young adult mystery wouldn’t stump me that much and this one blew me away. I am so excited to read the sequel and see what else Pip gets involved with. What a strong, female character for our young readers to see. I do think there’s something to be said about Pip’s obsessiveness and how that all-consuming drive can be a negative thing. But overall, I really liked this book and I think it’s a great addition to the young adult mystery world.

*This book was the July 2024 pick for the Read Between the Wines book club.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail