Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Bring Me Back by Kristen Granata

18 reviews

dancing_daisy's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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crackedspinereviews's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful 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

4.0

 
May contain spoilers

Review: I started reading this book after seeing a few Tiktoks about it and I feel like it is very underrated. It paints a very realistic picture of mental illness and suicide and I love how different the two MC’s are. The MMC is a police officer who is kind but a little closed off and the FMC is sweet but not very trusting. One element that I really loved about this book was the budding friendship between the FMC and the MMC’s younger and misunderstood brother. I thought that was a very sweet element to include on top of the MMC’s dad being such a kind old man. The main issue I had with this book was some of the words that were exchanged during the third quarter breakup (which is a trope that I am not really a fan of) were definitely in need of more of an apology because they were way too harsh and out of line. I did like that the epilogue actually resolved all the drama and that it was set a ways out from the end of the story. Definitely a great read if you want to be in your feels!

Likes: discussions about mental health/substance abuse, family involvement, broodingly sweet and helpful MMC

Dislikes: some of the arguments are a little toxic

Tropes: grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity

 

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morganrosereads's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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amberleila's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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frantically's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful fast-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

2.0

I just couldn't stand the writing in this one, it was so boring, felt like a copied "Mental Health 🌻✨" and relied too much on exposition.

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jessicanb93's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad fast-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


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angeladee's review against another edition

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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? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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

4.5

Bring Me Back by Kristen Granata
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I say this all the time, but... I always find it much harder to review books that I loved. I never feel like I can find the right words to do it justice.

CW: suicide, suicide attempt, depression, addiction, death of parent

If you've ever read Kristen's work, you know there are always themes of mental health & overcoming internal struggles. Bring Me Back follows Pheonix after leaving a mental health treatment facility following her suicide attempt. Looking for a fresh start, she moves into her dad's shore house in New Jersey that has been vacant for a while. Next door is James, a broody & sexy cop who just can't seem to stay away. The book starts off with a bang, with a funny as hell meeting between the two, & takes off from there.

While I have dealt with bouts of depression at the lowest points of my anxiety & panic disorder, I have not been clinically depressed. Still, I appreciated the representation of depression & how it was written & handled in this book. It was out in the open, never shied away from, & never something to be ashamed of, which I absolutely loved. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. experience mental illness every year, & 1 in 20 experience serious mental illness each year. It's much more common than we think, & I love that Kristen normalizes the struggles, because there are far too many who are afraid to or cannot seek help or speak up.

There are heavy themes in this book. But there are also lighter moments. I'm obsessed with how Nix & James met. I laughed out loud several times. I goofy smiled like an idiot at the heartwarming moments between Nix & James, but also between Nix & James' brother Leo, & with their dad as well. And the steam... 🔥 handcuffs & baton... need I say more? 🥵

The character development was phenomenal. I loved them all, but Leo holds a special place in my heart, & I can't wait to read more of his story. 🥺

And there's something about the ending that I also loved & appreciated, but don't worry, I won't say what it is. I never post spoilers!

Oh, and just look at that cover! 😍 absolutely gorgeous! (The discreet one, but the main one is so nice too)

Go read it!

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