Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Anna K: A Love Story by Jenny Lee

15 reviews

elizkacz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Racism, Toxic relationship, Grief, Car accident, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, and Racial slurs

Minor: Confinement, Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Cultural appropriation

kimveach's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

Sex, drugs, and other misbehavior from the young, rich, and vapid.  It was a little dull at first since I knew the story of Anna Karenina, but it ended up being better than I expected as I grew to know the characters.  I enjoyed the difference in the ending from the classic.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

trishmarie17's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Sexual content, Car accident, and Alcohol

Moderate: Animal death, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

1004indeyo's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

sierranorgan's review against another edition

dark emotional funny relaxing sad medium-paced

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

3.75

This book was wild in many different ways. It had such a gossip girl vibe to it that I enjoyed, and the audiobook narrator was really playing that up! But sometimes the characters and situations were so absolutely ridiculous that I wasn’t to smash my head into something 😂 maybe it’s things that I’m missing from it’s source material? I’m not sure. But overall I enjoyed being brought back to that gossip girl feeling that I’ve missed! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

thebookishkatie's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug use, and Sexual content

Moderate: Mental illness and Toxic relationship

Minor: Abortion

CW: death, drug use, adultery, toxic parents, depression, anxiety, alcohol, reference to abortion, child sex tape

redsea's review against another edition

what the actual fuck was that. getting past the expressed INCEST, constant sexism, racism, shitty males, watching ur family members have sex and so much more, the writing is horrible and i hate every single character (except dustin, and maybe count and anna) ESP FUCKING STEVEN. i had such high hopes and i’m sorely disappointed. i was going to stick it through but the bea saying she would kiss her COUSIN disgusted me. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Racism, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia

avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition

emotional funny medium-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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Car accident, and Alcohol

Moderate: Racism and Blood

hannahb1533's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

2.75

Listened to the audio book because Jenna Ushkowitz narrated (and you did great doing so girl!)

Overall this story was... a struggle for me.

Had I been reading a physical copy and not listening to it, I may have DNF'd it. And not because Jenny Lee's writing style is bad or because she isn't a compelling story teller, because she is. No, my real struggle was trying to sympathize with rich, spoiled high schoolers.

This book got 3 stars instead of 2 from me because of Lee's ability to tell a story along with Jenna's narrations. I only liked maybe one character really (Dustin. Kimmie also had some redeeming qualities) which isn't surprising since that one character was the only one not rolling in their parents money and living a life of privilege's so may of us will never know.

The story works as a retelling of Anna Karenina, it does what it is supposed to do to be that. This is like if Anna Karenina and Gossip Girl had a baby. But I had to constantly remind myself that these were high schoolers. Between the sex (this book has more graphic detail than anything else I have read that is considered YA), the casual drug use with no repercussions (in most cases), the cheating, and the overarching feeling that high school love is the end-all-be-all I found myself unable to relate on so many levels.

The characters are built well though, you understand all of their individual personalities and what makes them tic, which is hard with so many characters in one story. And the pacing of the book does keep you on your toes about what may happen next. Lee is clearly a very skilled writer. But for me I just can't score it higher because I just cannot get over the overflowing privilege's. Even though I know that is the point at time I was so frustrated listening to these characters and their lives.

Should I give the sequel a try? Will it solve some of the problems I had (can Steven please be forced to come to terms with his drug use?)? Or will I just get frustrated all over again?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol

sarahsbookss's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny lighthearted 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Grief, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Sexual content and Toxic relationship