Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Dear Ava by Ilsa Madden-Mills

5 reviews

mingostudio's review

challenging emotional fast-paced

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

5.0

[ spoilers at the bottom ] y’all THIS BOOK omg i was in a slump and i think this put me back in one 😭😭

i’ve never read romance this well WRITTENNNN i mean maybe i have but it was overwhelmingly good. like knox was making me SWOON and i loved all the characters w my whole heart (esp. tyler and dane and wyatt they deserve hugs omg but esp. dane bc i love him. can i have a sequel about dane pls? pls?)

anyways i’ve realized recently that i can only ADORE a romance when i like both the main characters which makes sense but so frequently a character annoys me. like a bouncy happy girl i want to punch or a guy that’s a dick that i also want to punch. but ava was such a badass omg and knox’s vulnerable side (the best side of any guy character btw) made me want to scream and cry and throw up. soooooo

the very minuscule bad:
• a little too many all caps
• a little too many epilogues (but i can overlook it bc they were soo heartwarming which is surprising bc babies showed up which i usually hâte but i couldnt this time)
• the “plot reveal” was LAME

✨ best non romance quote ✨ “Ignore them. Testosterone-addled morons,” Wyatt murmurs next to me and tosses an arm over my shoulder, and I lean into him, needing reassurance. “Do you have any clue how much I adore you? If you weren’t gay, I’d kiss you.”

⚠️ spoilers ⚠️ but to elaborate, i wanted dean to be the one that did it. it would be sooo well done if he did it but liam made him and maybe drugged him..? or drank him into a stupor..? it’d be difficult to read but that’s how i would write it. by having liam do it (an obvious villain from the start) it felt a little expected and underdeveloped. but i can’t argue too much bc it was still fantastic, i just would’ve written it differently. [ spoilers over ]

tbh if they finished w that plot it would’ve been 6 stars but ig they’ll have to suffer w 5 lmaoo. i NEED to read others by this author bc she wrote the romance so well and full of good lines and angst but not too much sex or pda ugh it was so good. anyways i’ll stop ranting. read the triggers !! but if you can handle it, this book is the most underrated AGHHHJDIRJDK. 

⚠️ triggers ⚠️
sexual assault and rape, sexual content, violence, drugs and alcohol abuse, abusive parents and relationships, abandonment, foul language and slurs

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual content, and Violence

megcarrick's review

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death of parent, Abandonment, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

lilli0311's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Addiction, Violence, Drug abuse, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Suicide, Rape, Mental illness, and Child abuse

rosie_read_it's review

challenging emotional medium-paced

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

3.0

I struggled a lot with this book. Certain aspects of the plot were handled really well, and I think the relationship was good - but so much of it just seemed creepy to me. And the last chapter was frustrating, but I guess it worked in context. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Drug use

Moderate: Abandonment, Child abuse, Classism, Pedophilia, and Gaslighting

ashleycmms's review

dark emotional medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Suicide

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Grief