Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

Vladimir by Julia May Jonas

38 reviews

rebeccajolley74's review against another edition

dark reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Drug abuse

Moderate: Addiction and Suicide attempt

psychedelicize555's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

1.0

Truly a terrible book. Ever wanted to read a book filled with all the critical comments your mother made about her body in front of you when you were eleven? Then this book is for you! Insufferable main character, hell bent on simultaneously fawning over and criticising her pervert husband. You know how people say your partner is a reflection of your worst qualities? These two are like gigantic (pervy) mirrors. Add in a creepy infatuation with a forty year old college lecturer that is either informed by a legitimate flirtation on his behalf or just evidence of delusion on her behalf - you have a droll, irritatingly male-centred (dare i say obsessed / infatuated) novel.  The main character is so indecisive it makes me want to rip my hair out. She is so insecure and never fails to pit her ageing body against an unknowing younger woman’s body. Can’t women just exist? She’s a failed critical feminist, intent on coming across that way but every fibre of her being proves otherwise. Without spoilers, the ending is so uncreative it feels almost offensive that I was forced to read so much only to be (could you even call it this) rewarded with such a miserable conclusion. Sorry JMJ - nothing against you. Maybe we just don’t need a book about 2 insecure boomers projecting their weird fucking lives onto younger people? I really don’t know what the point of this book was. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment

danielleeejames's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicide

maddyontheoffbeat's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.75

I really like how she portrayed the main character, with all of her insecurities about aging, but the off-branches about “the new generation” felt a little pedantic and overdone. I guess I was also expecting either a Lolita thing or a My Dark Vanessa vibe, which it was not. It kinda just skirted the edges of if.  I also felt that the ending kind of came out of nowhere.

it felt to me that the fire was just an excuse to end it sooner, and that it didn’t really wrap up the story.

 It just feels like there’s a lot unsaid. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Body shaming, Drug abuse, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

karol99's review

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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

adamsbookshelf's review against another edition

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

Wow this book just hit all the wrong boxes for me. It was so boring and felt condescending.

The first 2/3 of the novel had almost nothing to do with Vladimir and about the MC dealing with her husbands SA accusations. Our MC is kind of an awful human and keeps insisting that she doesn't stand by his actions but proceeds to stand by his actions?? And don't even get me started on when she drugs Vladimir ties him up, gaslights him into believing he wanted to do BDSM and lying about his wife having an affair. He then decides he wants to sleep with our MC for god knows why and plot twist, she no longer wants to sleep with him. Well until she changes her mind and they have the worst described sex I've ever read in a novel. Then the cabin burns down and she stays with her husband and moves to a new place to recover from her burns. In the last chapter she meets with one of the SA victims and it's the quickest character interaction in the novel and almost feels forced.

Overall I did not enjoy the story or the characters and only gave it one star because the cover is hot.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

mraddd's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Addiction and Drug abuse

Minor: Pregnancy

lhanley17's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

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

2.75

The book is centered on a vain, unlikeable woman. The only action that takes place at the end is not believable and not developed like the characters.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

mrbean'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

3.0

A meandering excursion into the world of sexual politics through the mind of the hypercritical and cynical narrator, Vladimir pulses with scandalous vigour and makes for an enthralling debut. However, Jonas' failure to integrate its salient yet complex themes to construct a cohesive, impactful narrative and the book's anticlimactic finish dampen its full potential.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Drug abuse and Suicide attempt

rcy's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol

Moderate: Suicide attempt

Minor: Drug abuse and Suicide