Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The World Cannot Give by Tara Isabella Burton

11 reviews

jrow's review

tense slow-paced

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

1.0

It’s was like listening to a bunch of Karens complain the entire book. I only finished the book because I have a problem with marking things as DNF.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Homophobia, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Infidelity, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Stalking, Suicide attempt, and Outing

fionamclary's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-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

This book is not outstanding and it does kind of explain the Message to you at the end, but it will scratch the itch for a classic, aesthetic tragedy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Death, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Grief, Murder, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Vomit

emreads0's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I struggled with a rating for this book but I was surprised to love it. The World Cannot Give is a very dark academia story of struggling to fit in both in school and in the world. Think Bunny by Mona Awad but focused on a religious prep school.

My personal struggle with this book was that it has some awkward writing choices and I am not very religious. However, the plot twist and character growth was great! If you love DA, this book is a wonderful and sinister option. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Suicide, Blood, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Fire/Fire injury

gellyreads's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

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

4.0

I'm really struggling to determine how much I enjoy this book. I found the pacing to be slow, and I found it to almost be allegorical - although I'm unsure what the metaphors are in this allegory. This was an excellent way to view terrible people through a bland lens, and I do appreciate the author making people examine what you consider to be dangerous and what people would see as a form of love and trust. This is an unforgettable book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Murder, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Moderate: Stalking and Alcohol

Minor: Addiction and Adult/minor relationship

ventenne's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

2.0

laura (the narrator) annoyed the shit out of me: she was blind, naïve, and a pushover on multiple fronts. i read the first few pages, then skipped to the last page and read the book backwards, section by section (i was reading an ebook). if i hadn’t done this, it would have been too irksome to finish.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Suicide, and Vomit

owlribbon's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Murder, Outing, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Homophobia and Lesbophobia

maiahhtratchh's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

1.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Murder, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Antisemitism and Religious bigotry

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Fire/Fire injury

apiologee's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Body shaming and Eating disorder

Minor: Sexism, Suicide, Religious bigotry, and Fire/Fire injury

Revenge porn (the distribution of someone's sex tape without their consent) ends up being a crucial plot point toward the end of the book.

hbrown00's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Toxic relationship, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Eating disorder, Religious bigotry, and Abandonment

Minor: Lesbophobia and Alcohol

carbs4life's review against another edition

dark reflective tense fast-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

Tara Burton’s prose is wonderful. She does a great job at carrying the reader through the story she wants to tell. Each character means something in the grand scheme. The author does not waste time but the story doesn’t seem rushed either. 

Button certainly has something to say and I am glad I listened. If you are deciding wether or not to pick this one up, go ahead and try it out.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

Minor: Bullying, Sexual assault, and Sexual content