Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

She Started It by Sian Gilbert

75 reviews

erinmichele_reads's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense

• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, and Excrement

amanda_mh's review against another edition

mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

That was a good book! I wasn’t sure at first and then the twisted nature of all these women hooked me it kinda felt like people on a reality show.  I liked how we slowly got pieces of the past and as things were revealed in the present. Some very intense and shocking moments, not a book I’d usually pick up but it was an option for BOTM so thought why not. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Biphobia, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

angelarae235's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Addiction, Biphobia, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Excrement, and Alcohol

Minor: Vomit

ivykennerauthor's review against another edition

mysterious tense

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Child death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Self harm, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Lesbophobia

daydaybookbay's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad 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? Yes

4.0

I rated this book an 8 out of 10. I made a note after reading page 124 where I had figured out the rest of the book. Even with this, I was pulled in and wanted to keep reading. Somewhat unbelievable at points where I would poke plot holes, but overall enjoyable story.

The flashbacks are told through Poppy's diary entries. This was effective and gives the reader a more personal feeling, but I don't really buy into it. As a preteen or teenager, there's no way she's writing like this. Too many quotes, too many details. I would imagine this more as a transcript from a therapy meeting.

There are so many secrets hidden and exposed. With how messy it gets, it might be helpful to write down who is whispering what to who. Then, when the truth comes out, you know where we are. I almost went back just to make sure there wasn't some extra loose end hanging around

The driving force for this novel: DRAMA! Really, the suspense isn't in play. You know the twists. It's the little pieces of exposed drama. It's the wonder of what they did to still be stuck on it a decade later. You're pulled in because you want the inside scoop.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Biphobia, Body shaming, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Blood, and Stalking

stacym's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense

• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use

ksprosser's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship

michellefre's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Self harm

Minor: Addiction and Biphobia

britt_thebookworm's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Violence, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Self harm and Blood

Minor: Suicide and Murder

thespinystacks's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Stalking