Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

229 reviews

zizzlee0305's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Sexism, Police brutality, Kidnapping, and Grief

Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, and Fire/Fire injury

vee_nusflytrap's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

lucy_readsbooks13's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

2.75

It was a decent thriller. 
I'm a chicken when it comes to scary books, and this was perfect for me. It's not very scary, and it has a fast-paced plot which doesn't allow for carefully built-up jump scares. 
The main character was both insufferable and very easy to empathize with. I understood her ways and her reasons, but from time to time she was as interesting as a wet sponge and as likable as one of the "Monsters".
The plot was interesting, I quite liked that final e-mail, it juxtaposed two different times and "trends" in crime. The past is not told through a dual timeline but the reader is told about them, and it's supported by different reports, news articles, movie reviews, etc. and I really. 
Slasher movies are the only horror movies I'm brave enough to watch so this premise really intrigued me, and parts of it were very well executed.
I managed to guess certain aspects of the ending, and my edition has some grammar and spelling mistakes. I don't think it's intentional because they are not constant enough though. There have also been certain problems with continuity, like a character leaves something behind but has it again three pages later. miscommunication is one of the tropes I can't stand, and unfortunately, it was abused here. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Drug abuse, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Grief

woosh's review against another edition

challenging mysterious 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

3.0

I think maybe Grady Hendrix's style of horror is just not for me. Both books I've read so far, I've walked away feeling more disgust than awe/fear that I get from horror books I've enjoyed more. I did manage to get through this easier than The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires. I might have DNF'd if I wasn't reading this as a part of SPL's book bingo – not sure I can say this isn't a good book, it's just really not for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail

jessthemess8112's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious tense 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

I've heard so much hype about this book, and I'm glad to say it was all *mostly* true. When I read a title that says "Final Girl Support Group," my first thought is, of course, "Well, how did they become final girls?" And I was slightly annoyed with how long it took to reveal each girls background story while still leaving some of their current information out. However predictable the first plot twist was, I was not prepared for the ending.  I think the author did a great job of making the reader really feel for these girls and root for them to succeed once more,  but if I'm being honest, although surprising,  the ending fell a bit flat when it came to execution. But what can you do? Can't have everything tied up with someone nice bow when it comes to thrillers now, can you? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

jadeejf's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.75

This one took me a bit to get into but once I did, it was an absolute page turner with a lot of unexpected twists and turns. The premise was so unique, too. 

Hendrix did a masterful job of creating an unreliable narrator (or is she?), and weaving in a lot of excellent horror movie Easter eggs. It did occasionally veer into the gory, but it's a book about final girls, so you have to kind of expect that. I really enjoyed it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship

crimsonash606's review against another edition

dark funny inspiring fast-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

4.25

An incredible read for any slasher fans. A great mix of deadly stakes and humor.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Blood

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

vickymcckey's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

3.0

Very well written and well thought out. The author makes sure readers know that he doesn’t support the glorification of serial killers, which is nice and (unfortunately) necessary, even if it was a bit heavy handed throughout the book.

I thought the first plot twist of Skye being the killer worked really well, but Stephanie’s role in it felt a little more forced while it was being revealed.

The description of violence in Lynn’s first “horror movie experience” I found to be a bit gratuitous, but I guess that’s what you get when you pick up this kinda book. The rest of it didn’t bother me, but the implied sexual violence and child violence on page 155-156 were a lot.

This is definitely the kind of story where a good suspension of disbelief will do you favors, not necessarily because of the serial killer aspects, but more because of the character’s personalities and logistics. Though once again, that’s kinda expected from this sort of book. Overall this was definitely out of my comfort zone but I did enjoy it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Stalking, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal cruelty and Cannibalism

lue_moon's review against another edition

dark tense medium-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

This is a difficult book for me to rate. The premise is good and it did draw me in. I was more into it in the last 100 or so pages, which had many pieces i did not see coming and was overall intriguing. But I spent a good portion of the book confused and had a hard time following a lot of the characters and their stories/monsters. I found myself googling a character list because I felt lost and didn't want to re-read. Came across the helpful suggestion to link each of the final girls to the horror movies their stories were seemingly based on (click spoiler below if you want the list). After that information, it was much easier to follow. I suspect if I was more knowledgeable about horror movies, I may have picked it up quicker, but I do not watch nor like horror movies (books I can sometimes do, but movies are a no go).

May be a better read for you if you are already a horror movie fan? 

● Lynette-had to deal with a situation dubbed the "Silent Night Slayings" (Silent Night Deadly Night)
● Marilyn-was attacked by bloodthirsty cannibals(Texas Chainsaw Massacre)
● Dani-brother Nick escaped from a mental asylum and on Halloween, slaughtered anyone who stood between him and his sister.(Halloween)
● Julia-was left a final girl after her boyfriend and one of his friends decided to turn her into a final girl (Scream)
● Heather-had to face a "Dream Killer" (Nightmare on Elm Street)
● Adrienne-survived the slaughter at Camp Red Lake(Friday the 13th)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Excrement, Vomit, and Police brutality

Minor: Cannibalism

kazy's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

a thrilling, fast-paced homage to the slasher genre and their final girls, whose main characters are middle-aged women surviving their trauma with scars fully on display. 
really enjoyed! it’s always fun to see things that are so clearly love letters from the author to the genre itself (not without its own criticism of the genre as well). it certainly felt like watching a contemporary slasher movie, the kind made by someone who’s seen every one and had some notes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Ableism, Drug abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, Cannibalism, Stalking, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

mentions of victim blaming (both external and heavily internal),

mental health professionals violating patient’s trust

, extreme agoraphobia.

A lesbian dies through terminal illness. the black character dies first, though remains relevant to the plot and characters throughout the rest of the book. adult men taking advantage of traumatized young women, including minors, including a man who knew the girls’ father before he died and used his death as a jumping off point to groom her. one of the final girls (though not of the main group) is in a relationship with her slasher, and another is accused of conspiring with hers to kill her family as well as sleeping with him. one of the girls is mentioned to have been “forced to wear a suit made of human skin” during her traumatizing event. at least two young children are explicitly murdered violently, the murder isn’t described in extreme detail but with enough description to fully understand what happened. Someone’s diary/vent journal/mental health exercise is published without their consent.