Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Without Merit by Colleen Hoover

12 reviews

jeandie_leone's review against another edition

emotional sad tense slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Outing

Moderate: Animal death, Infidelity, and Sexual assault

Minor: Cancer

dwdillydally's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny slow-paced

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

3.5

Without Merit (2017) by Collen Hoover
#youngadultfiction #mentalhealth #familydramafiction #slowromance #mildspicy #dwreads24

Finished my first Colleen Hoover book! I wasn't sure that I'd like her flavors (dark modern romance, dysfunctional characters), so I started with a title recommended for teens / young adults. When I say "for teens", this is NOT for tweens / preteens. Here are screenshots of the content warnings I tagged, and I'm happy to elaborate on any of them, if you ask.

Depsite alllllll the CWs listed, I do recommend this to the right teen or to us, non-trendy-readers who are Hoover-curious. If it's too much for you, then you probably won't enjoy Hoover's adult books 

There were so many scenes where I was telling the 17yo main character, "Oh no honey, don't do that. Oh nnnnoo!" 🫣 But overall, this book is about family trauma and mental health - vital to talk about. It's meant to be f_<ed up. How bad can the main character's day-to-day life get before she turns a corner and starts unraveling the mess around her? For me, it was rough to read from the start through the middle, then I slowly came around, and by the end, I was rooting for the main character. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Drug abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, and Alcohol

Minor: Cancer, Eating disorder, Terminal illness, Car accident, Death of parent, Outing, and Abandonment

kat_rowlen's review against another edition

challenging emotional lighthearted sad 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

3.5

Would make for a good beach read! Will this book win any literary awards? Probably not. Will it keep you entertained? Definitely! The chapters were too long, but I didn’t mind it as much as I normally would because I’d get so lost in the story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Chronic illness, Incest, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

brookey8888's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

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

2.75

Um was this entertaining? Yes. Was this good? No 
This was honestly messed up from start to finish. If you don’t like miscommunication or no communication, this isn’t for you. I just can’t get over the way they didn’t talk about anything. Also, the step uncle things really weird especially the ending when he’s actually with someone and he was been in the family for a while. Um, the weird kiss like I don’t care a 13 year old should know better. I don’t understand that. The relationship was cute and I really liked him. Moby was the best part of this book. This does deal with really heavy topics so be prepared(attempted suicide, depression, agoraphobia).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Islamophobia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Outing, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

petal_01's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Incest, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Vomit

graff_fuller's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

My daughter, Mathilde sent me this book to read. So, when that happens...you read it.

We have a connection with books. We don't always agree with each other, but usually we "get" each other.

This book is about a dysfunctional family (Married with Children level) that don't communicate with each other. That's us in a way, but I have to say...we are NOT this bad. Promise.

They live in a church...which is divided into four partitions. Father/new wife, older son, Merit and Honor. Their's an office in there, too. 

I liked the twin sisters storyline (Merit/Honor). They are are polar opposites in personality, Older brother that is aloof, Father/husband that seems spiteful and careless. His new wife lives on the first floor with their youngest son (and the rest of the family), while his ex-wife lives in the basement (but never comes up). Then add to the mix a friend named Sagan and a drifter who arrives at the house unannounced named Luck.

Also, the names in this book are very exotic. Utah, Merit, Honour, Moby, Barnaby, Victoria (twice), Sagan and Luck. Really? This is a menagerie of names. Not one that seems real.

The story deals with depression, and the struggles with a family that doesn't communicate, which complicates EVERYONEof their lives in individual ways.. 

This was FAST read. I immediately loved the protagonist, Merit. I knew that the title of the book would have significance (and it did). Also a great reveal towards the end of the book, well played.

I enjoyed the dynamic of the family, though it seemed a little TOO cartoonish, but by the middle of the book...I had been sucked in.

Odd characters would enter this familys orbit, but then find a home there...not just in the house, but they became intrical parts of the story. 

By the end...a poingant story had been told. The problems with miscommunication and how dangerous that can be. AND that we need to find a friend...that will always have our back. 

THis was an odd story, but i enjoyed it. Thanks Mathilde.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Animal death and Alcohol

erica_reads_things's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

3.75

Pretty good book overall! Was a bit slow at times but the plot was interesting and all of the secrets and drama kept me wanting to know more. The end got a little.bit "after school special" cheezy, but it was still an overall good read with interesting characters and good development. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Outing

Minor: Animal death, Cancer, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Terminal illness

sarah_28's review against another edition

challenging emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt

Moderate: Toxic relationship

arthur_ant18's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Cancer, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Vomit, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Outing

Minor: Biphobia and Homophobia

saraellenme's review against another edition

emotional 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? It's complicated

3.5

There are some interesting twists in this, but in general it was an overall bummer. The narrator is unlikable, and I know that’s the point, but listening to this book always soured my mood. It is also one of those books that ties up all the plot points neatly with a bow at the end. Very happily ever after.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Animal death, Homophobia, Incest, and Medical trauma

Minor: Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and War