Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Normal People by Sally Rooney

960 reviews

staci64's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

I like Rooney’s writing style but the millennial angst, the weird trauma from childhood that affects both Connell and Marianne to various degrees and in different ways is just a burden. It’s basically a coming of age story of two young people in love who can’t seem to be together and make it work. I know this is an older, popular book. Popular enough to be made into a Netflix show. No, I won’t be watching. It’s depressing. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

Connell and Marianne need Jesus.

marimoon9's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, and Suicide

Moderate: Toxic relationship

estelleidekreads's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

read the trigger warnings ppl!
honestly i was not really expecting to like this but i did. it does what it says on the tin - just feels very real. i liked that the book is called normal people and yet the MCs wish they were normal as they feel other bc that’s just it - there’s no such thing as “normal”.

i do this the depiction of BDSM is quite problematic like !!! safe words !!! pls !!!

i do think it would have been more powerful to have C & M end up engaging in properly safe & actually consensual BDSM at the end vs going from abuse disguised as BDSM to “vanilla” sex. but then again i also think Rooney was very clever when she hinted that C might actually want to be dominant in that way (can’t remember where or what exactly he thinks but it’s the bit where he’s like “i could hit her holy shit”) and then ar the end he’s seemingly the “good guy”. i should really go back and check my kindle highlights but i’ve got shingles and feel like shite so that’ll have to be good enough 😂

i thought the mental illness bits were very realistic, including the fact that M’s ED is never really addressed and seemingly flies under the radar other than a couple comments about her being very thin these days.

the ending makes sense because:
a. life’s events are rarely neatly tied off with little bows. shit happens & keeps going until we die. in this sense it’s very realistic
b. it just makes sense with their character development. i wouldn’t have believed a HEA with where they’re at in their lives they’ve just got so much unhealed trauma & unresolved issues. and yes they've grown but not enough to break the perpetual cycle they’ve been stuck in.

but i absolutely hated it. i’m an open ending hater to my core and it was just SO annoying! these kids need so much therapy and honestly idc what people say, they’re toxic together. ITS NOT HEALTHY!!!

i reckon this is one of these books that’ll just stay with me which is defo props to the author. still mad about the lack of quotation marks tho

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Child abuse, Eating disorder, and Toxic friendship

minor TW for a predatory teacher flirting with a 17/18 year old also a lot of dubcon

jazzuar's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Alcohol

blueberry0531's review against another edition

dark reflective 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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Toxic friendship

itsaromance's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

Expected a romcom, found a deep and emotional story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

hayleycorrigan's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide

Minor: Bullying

pookiee's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

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

2.75

The whole time I was thinking, Do some people really talk and act like this?? It all felt uncanny. But I like the idea that people may drift in and out of your life, and it's still worth having known them.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Moderate: Body shaming

Minor: Violence and Blood

doramak's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective relaxing 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, and Classism

Minor: Drug use

ahubitsky's review against another edition

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

2.0

if sally rooney is a leftist, and this book is imbued with marxist themes, i’m a reactionary conservative

this was genuinely really bad on multiple fronts. the most glaring problems are the stunning lack of character development, you’d think with several years of education and life under both marianne and connell’s belts by the end of the story they would’ve changed at least in some regard, but neither of them did. further, i fail to see how the physical, emotional, and sexual abuse of a woman makes a compelling plotline, because make no mistake, this plot is purely abuse porn. it’s astounding the lack of agency that marianne has (willingly!). her rich background just makes her come off as a whiny bitch who can’t experience hardship in any way other than by inflicting it on herself, so she does, and in the process convinces herself shes oh so horrible. 

not to mention (going back to the alleged “marxist themes”) in this book, it’s extremely interesting how this work is supposed to be marxist, but marianne LITERALLY commodifies herself as a piece of property to be transferred among owners. im pretty sure that commodification of property is something marxists are inherently against? seems like rooney either forgot the marx she read, or just proclaims herself a marxist to the media to give her work the flavor of quirkiness.

the synopsis on the back is also pretty bold, describing the book as a journey of “love and friendship,” when it’s really just a pornographic journey through self-deprecation by a girl who can’t help but act like a craigslist item to be transferred between abusers.

strongly recommend looking up trigger warnings, but even more i recommend avoiding this book altogether.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Toxic friendship