Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

248 reviews

sonjaelisee's review against another edition

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

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Terminal illness

readbycarina's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gun violence, Blood, and Pregnancy

Minor: Cancer and Sexual content

geminisoul's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This book tore my heart apart and then reput it back togeather again, repeatedly. I probably cried while reading  the entire last 10% of the book. Everything about this book felt so true to life, especially the interpersonal relationships and family dynamics that occurred. You could feel the beauty and horror of Alaska seep through every page. This will be a 10/10 recommend from me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Pregnancy

Minor: Sexual content

janicecm's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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

4.5

This book was heavier than I expected, and I almost stopped reading it about 60% through. But I am happy I finished. It’s a great story of resilience and second chances. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

jascahue's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I was a fan until she

got pregnant

after her mom

killed her dad

the book just lost my interest. It was very emotional and intense for a while.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual content

izzy_v's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.75

The only thing preventing me from giving this book 5 stars was how much I disliked reading the numerous DV scenes, however I at least felt they were necessary for the plot. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was simultaneously heartbreaking and beautiful, tragic and hopeful. The story forces you to feel a broad spectrum of emotions deeply, leaving you feeling raw at the end but in a good way. I would recommend this book, but advise folks to check the trigger warnings first! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

jcqln112's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Gore, Murder, and War

Minor: Pregnancy

kimkim343's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Kristen Hannah has this way of making you feel like the story is going to wrap up, only to look down and see that there's 5 more hours of book left (audio). The description is deep and sometimes a lot to process.. I think she is an author I prefer as Audio for this reason.. and her reader is phenomenal. 

I'm not sure how to describe this book and the emotions..but I can say it's a book of survival. A mother and daughter going along with "dad's" next big thing and moving to the  Alaska bush for a new start. Trigger warning there is DV in this book. There is also love and friendship, and hope against all odds.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship

etbishop's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring sad tense medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, and Murder

sweetteaandfiction's review against another edition

emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

The Great Alone by @kristinhannahauthor painted a terrifyingly realistic story of growing up in a home where the background noise to your life is domestic violence and the word outside your door is just as harsh and unforgiving as the world inside.

For me, it was a very slow build to an ending that had me in tears cheering for the FMC and the love of her life. 

PROS: 
🧊The book did an amazing job of painting the beauty and harshness of the Alaskan wilderness in the 70’s. 
🩵Large Marge is my all time favorite surrogate literary Auntie
🧊Found Family 
🩵The Walkers 
🧊The ending was *chef’s kiss* 

CONS: 
🩵The book does deal with DV. While this can be a heavy topic, I felt it was handled very well. 
🧊Conspiracy theorist bs is so exhausting 
🩵Old, close minded white men being the worst 
🧊The whole building a fence thing made me irrationally angry 
🩵I understand that I will never understand what it is like to have a parent or someone close to me with the sort of PTSD our FMC’s Dad has. However, I do think at times everyone was too quick to forgive his behavior because of the PTSD. The point where his behavior was too much came long before any intervention. 

🪚🪚🪚 out of five ice fishing holes in the middle of a lake in the dead of winter for these Alaskan homesteaders 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent and Murder

Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Confinement, Terminal illness, and Grief