Reviews tagging 'Eating disorder'

How to Make Friends with the Dark by Kathleen Glasgow

17 reviews

cpreeta6's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-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? Yes

3.5

Please check the content warnings of the book before reading it. If you are feeling even a bit down, I would suggest not picking the book up.

Its a story about a girl who lost her only parent, her Mom, and how she deals with the world after that. She goes about her life finding herself alone, and then not. It's about found family, yet it is mainly about grief, and how different people deal with it.

Emotional. Packs a punch. The second person perspective made it hit harder than it should have. 

A few things at the end feel rushed - I felt they were added as an afterthought... Just to add more pain and suffering in the character's life, or to introduce a few characters at the last moment.

Some thought provoking questions were asked, some tear jerking scenes. Can make you cry.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse, Pregnancy, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Death of parent, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Violence, Alcohol, and Eating disorder

crystal689's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Grief, and Death

Moderate: Car accident, Abandonment, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Suicide, Bullying, and Eating disorder

Minor: Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Vomit, Physical abuse, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Abortion, Self harm, and Sexual violence

saramoschos's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Abortion, Self harm, Suicide, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Blood, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Car accident, Death, and Eating disorder

taliatalksbooks's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-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

How To Make Friends With The Dark by Kathleen Glasgow was beautifully written and all around heartbreaking. I fell in love with the characters quickly, and thought they were well flushed out throughout the book. I think this story captures the complicated feeling of grief, especially in an overwhelming situation. In their author’s note, Glasgow refers to the fact that we have to do better for children in these situations, and I couldn’t agree more. Seeing the difficulties other characters are going through alongside Tiger helps put into perspective the systems many of us are unaware of on a daily basis. I think this book takes on a number of really difficult topics, but it portrays them all in a digestible way. I feel as though we grieve alongside Tiger throughout her journey, as we learn more details and get pulled from situation to situation. If you’re looking for a book that will validate feelings of grief in numerous different forms, and make you cry page after page (in a good way) then this emotional journey is definitely for you. This book makes you think about the implication of words, and the memories you want left behind with those you love while helping you process feelings you might be experiencing yourself, have experienced in the past, or may experience in the future. Despite Tiger being young, and the additional struggles that come with that, the grief process feels genuine and natural for her character. I truly enjoyed it, despite reading it through blurry eyes with a box of tissues tucked beside me, so if you can stomach grief that’s not your own, very much feeling like it is your own, I would give this one a read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Eating disorder, and Mental illness

Minor: Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Addiction, Abortion, Blood, and Dementia

violetmash's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Suicide, Physical abuse, Death of parent, and Grief

audreylee's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.5

Grief goes on forever. It may change from an overwhelming, drowning pain to more of an ebb and flow but it will never go completely away. This is what sixteen-year-old Grace "Tiger" Tolliver discovers following the unexpected death of her mother. She loses her only family member and her life as she knew it. She also discovers the hidden griefs of those around her. Tiger meets many people of differing circumstances and learns how to process her grief and anger in good ways and bad. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Death of parent

Minor: Eating disorder, Child abuse, Violence, and Suicidal thoughts

matcharlyy's review against another edition

dark inspiring 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Vomit, Eating disorder, Grief, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Alcoholism, Violence, Alcohol, Mental illness, Car accident, and Child abuse

Moderate: Gore, Violence, Dementia, Drug abuse, and Blood

_han_na_'s review against another edition

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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Death of parent

Moderate: Vomit and Eating disorder

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, and Self harm

crisisincarnate's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Eating disorder

ellasara's review against another edition

emotional 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? No

5.0

waaaaaaaaaa niin hyvä ja niin surullinen, en jotenkin aatellut että tykkäisin tästä näin paljon ??? ajattelin tätä koko ajan ja en halunnut tehdä mitään muuta kuin lukea tätä. suunnilleen aina kun luin tätä mä kuuntelin lamp genso albumia ja se oli jotenkin täydellistä, ne kappaleet onnistui osumaan juuri oikeanlaisiin kohtiin kirjassa. 
 mutta niin oli kivuliasta lukee tätä mun sydän särkyi koko ajan

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Violence

Moderate: Car accident, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, and Vomit