Reviews tagging Alcohol

Cleopatra and Frankenstein, by Coco Mellors

36 reviews

lostpaperbacks's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Addiction, Blood, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Animal death, Drug use, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, and Infidelity

lilawsahar's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.5

I liked the different perspectives throughout the book. I just wish there were more perspectives from the main characters. I feel like I didn’t see how their relationship fell apart. Chloe said frank is like a black hole and boom their relationship was deteriorating. Too sudden for me. I wish this book was longer. I wanted to hear everyone’s endings and journeys. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Addiction, Alcohol, Body horror, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, and Infidelity

Minor: Animal death and Death of parent

danaaliyalevinson's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

This book did things to me. An impulsive marriage is a star at the center of a galaxy orbited by friends and family. And when that star simmers and explodes, everyone feels the aftershocks.

I forget exactly when, but at one point midway through the book I noticed the structure of the narrative. Not in a bad way. In a 'fellow writer albeit in another medium appreciating form' way. And I was struck by how complicated it is to pull off a multidimensional ensemble story like this, and yet how effortless the author made it all feel. Not to mention the emotional pay off. 

That is real skill.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Animal death, Dementia, Drug use, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Blood, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Dysphoria, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, and Toxic relationship

hannalizzy's review

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense slow-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

5.0

If the song “I’m wearing his boxers/I cry in his bathroom, he turns off the big light” song “Complex” by Katie Gregson-MacLeod from tiktok was a book, this would be it. Or “You’re On Your Own, Kid” by Taylor Swift from Midnights. Or “Moon Song” by Phoebe Bridgers. Take your pick. If any of those songs break you, this book will finish the job 😭❤️‍🩹

Cleopatra and Frankenstein is a literary fiction masterpiece and in-depth character study. It’s the type of book that readers need to put some work into — you learn about the characters passively, by connecting the dots between their dialogue and their actions/behaviors. It’s a book worth annotating because so much is said between the lines. 

Throughout the book you go from loving Cleo and Frank to hating them both, individually and as a couple. They’re messy, flawed, toxic people who bring out the worst in each other, and yet: “when the darkest part of you meets the darkest part of me, it creates light.” 

It’s as beautiful as it is heartbreaking. It’s raw, it’s messy, it’s human. 5/5 stars⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Definitely adult content w/ triggering subjects. Check for content warnings ❤️‍🩹

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Transphobia, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Alcohol, Cursing, Infidelity, Grief, Addiction, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Gaslighting, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Death of parent

inesbnstgry's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

Definitely don't read this unless you're mentally strong enough to bear it

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Abandonment, Addiction, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Self harm, Drug use, Racism, Transphobia, Death, Animal death, Vomit, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Grief, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Terminal illness

sydneybedell's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Sexual content

Moderate: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and Infidelity

Minor: Animal death and Vomit

kelly_twardziak's review

dark emotional 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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Drug use, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent

carys_aefa's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful relaxing sad fast-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Drug use, Addiction, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Suicide, Death of parent, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

ganderson's review

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

Best summed up in its own words: "it often seemed nothing very much was happening in [the story] until something startling and ireconsilable did." Very poignant, incredibly intense. The discussions of addiction are handled very well, but huge trigger warnings if you or someone you love is in active addiction. 

Edit: after thinking more for a few months I'm bumping this down. I was in too much shock at the ending to address it at the time, but...

Spoiler

I think Quentin was incredibly hard done by as a character. The absolute shock transition into meth addiction blew my mind and completely shook me. I think that might be because I found this book through searching for LGBT books, and the book description particularly focuses on Quentin gender identity - for that to be a very, very minor story line and for Quentin's character to be given such a dark ending. I also felt similar about Frank's sister, who's story line of entering a sugar baby/daddy relationship didn't have fruition until the end of the novel despite being another central part of the book description. It felt misleading, and very much in Quentin's case like a 'bury your gays' trope that I've sat uncomfortably with for a while now. I really don't recommend this book on those themes at all.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Eating disorder, Transphobia, Animal death, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Infidelity, Dysphoria, Misogyny, Homophobia, and Self harm

nadjhar's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad 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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide attempt, Blood, and Mental illness

Moderate: Grief, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship