Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Girls Can Kiss Now: Essays by Jill Gutowitz

9 reviews

xenia_li's review

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Misogyny and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Outing and Toxic friendship

catch__up's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Bullying, Homophobia, Transphobia, Lesbophobia, Dysphoria, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racism, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, and Classism

kathleencoughlin's review

slow-paced

2.0

I feel like I don't know who this book was for. Purportedly young queer women (Gutowitz talk a lot about what "we" experienced), but there is so much explaining and surface level analysis that it feels like it's written for some other audience. Also, I think Gutowitz needs to investigate who this "we" is when she talks about what "we" felt and experienced in relation to celebrity culture. Seemingly women who grew up in the 90s and 2000s, but the unsaid part is that it's really middle+ class white women who had the closest experience to hers, and even that group (of which I am a part) did not have a universal experience. The overly casual/slangy style felt like another forced attempt at familiarity and quite affected as if I was reading a tumblr post instead of a book. I think the essays that were the most successful were where she really reflected on her own personal experience and relation to celebrity culture, rather than making broad generalizations. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Misogyny, Car accident, and Outing

bi_n_large's review

challenging emotional funny reflective medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Mental illness, and Rape

Moderate: Toxic relationship and Toxic friendship

bi_n_large's review against another edition

emotional funny informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Toxic friendship

toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition

emotional funny informative lighthearted reflective fast-paced

4.0

Funny, relatable, and informative, this essay collection about queer women in pop culture was exactly what I needed this pride month. It was a really great way to wrap up my month of (almost) all queer books!

There was this one chapter about lesbian yearning that I felt SO called out by that I had to stop listening and collect myself before continuing to read it. I loved the way Gutowitz delves into queer female celebrities and the treatment of them in the early 2000s because I think that is so worth examining - basically, we owe Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson a massive apology.

Another great aspect of the book is the relatable way the author writes about the early days of the pandemic. It was a really funny way of putting it, but also sad. There is also a section where she writes a letter to her younger self, which broke my heart and made me laugh at the same time.

I had some minor issues with the book, but overall really enjoyed it and recommend it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Lesbophobia, Outing, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Biphobia and Racism

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Islamophobia

mallory10100's review

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

5.0

god i LOVED this!! one of the most relatable books i’ve ever read 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Murder, Lesbophobia, Outing, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Biphobia, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Blood, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Self harm, Dementia, and Classism

i highly recommend this!!

therahh's review

funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.5

Reading these essays left me with emotions that felt all too familiar. It felt like talking to an old friend as I went through the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

samantharosemangino's review

emotional funny informative inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

3.75

Really lovely book. Funny and shockingly informative. Some of the essays were a bit too long winded and started off in one place and finished in the opposite direction which was a bit confusing. I’ve followed this author on Twitter for a long time and it was nice to see a more personal and vulnerable side.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship