Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

John Dies at the End by David Wong

6 reviews

turtleofhades's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny tense medium-paced

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

3.75

I'd forgotten how early 00s this book was. Some of the language punted me back to a time of low rise flared jeans and layered polos; this is not a good thing.

It's still a good story with not quite unlikable main characters. I'm ready to continue on this series again as I just found out there's a fourth book (super excited since the author's writing has gotten so dang good with the Zoey Ashe series).

Definitely a must read for any time of year, but especially October. Who doesn't need a little existential dead and body horror every now and then? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Body horror, and Gore

Moderate: Child death, Drug use, Excrement, Murder, Violence, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Animal death, and Cursing

Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, Ableism, Alcohol, Animal death, Bullying, Car accident, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts

em_chen's review against another edition

2.5

read this bc i was a cracked girl back in the day but forgot that my tolerance for bullshit used to be way higher. teen incel shock value vibes.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Car accident, Addiction, Alcohol, Ableism, Racial slurs, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Cursing, and Body horror

r-slur used frequently, n word and other slurs

fuglaepir's review against another edition

dark funny tense fast-paced

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

3.0

JDATE is outdated 00s internet humour (quite literally, given its original publishing was online) but I love this book to pieces. Pargin's prose here is immature but visceral. I read this book for the first time in two sittings. John, Dave and Amy are fantastic characters and their debut is worth reading... If you can stand some questionable language in places. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Death, Car accident, Drug use, Chronic illness, Alcohol, and Body horror

Minor: Ableism and Racial slurs

pinkmalady's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Laugh out loud funny, psychologically horrifying, and gut-wrenchingly volatile... This is the exact kind of thing I will be thinking about for a long time. The way it handles mental illness and trauma targeted me specifically in such a deeply visceral way... The narration perfectly captures how it feels to lose your mind.

I adored the characters and their relationships. While I went into this mostly blind, I knew prior that

Amy and Dave would end up together. I'm honestly surprised at how well their relationship and their respective traumas relative to their relationship were fleshed out. It absolutely makes you feel for these two. Especially when Amy's life is on the line.

This book stressed and stresses me out. I'm afraid that if I think too hard about it I'll start spiraling... Going in, I had the feeling this book would rearrange my brain chemistry, and I believe it didn't fail. It's utterly chilling, and I don't usually spook easily when it comes to horror.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Grief, Violence, Racism, Racial slurs, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Drug use, Body horror, Blood, Cursing, Excrement, and Gore

Moderate: Vomit, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Car accident, Animal death, Ableism, and Alcohol

Minor: Rape, Antisemitism, and Suicidal thoughts

jaydoncornell's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Outing, Ableism, Blood, Body horror, Car accident, Cursing, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Vomit, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Alcohol, Bullying, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Excrement, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Racial slurs, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Addiction, Racism, Alcohol, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, and Animal death

entityj's review against another edition

dark funny fast-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? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Cursing, Death, Excrement, Gore, Violence, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Alcohol, Homophobia, Islamophobia, and Racial slurs