Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The List by Yomi Adegoke

17 reviews

aseel_reads's review

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Not sure how I felt about this one. From the get go, you know it's going to be hard for the author to write a complete story, which way to go, will it be a cliche etc. I felt that the author did a good job of showing the grey and the middle ground reaction and action of the characters. The last chapter was such a random plot twist, not sure how I felt about it 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexism, Homophobia, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Rape, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, and Alcoholism

Minor: Gaslighting, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Infidelity, Racism, Mental illness, Stalking, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

lilinn_aion's review against another edition

challenging emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Violence, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Bullying, Racial slurs, Suicide, Rape, Racism, Misogyny, and Homophobia

sarahjanecw's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Self harm, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Medical trauma, Infidelity, Rape, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Death of parent

miaaa_lenaaa's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

4.0

An interesting concept with 3d characters, i do think that the q+a section with the authors and one of the narrators was very good and added a lot of context to the writing

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Suicide, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Bullying, Medical content, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Death, Misogyny, Outing, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, and Sexual harassment

jwhit7's review

challenging dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, Drug use, Suicide, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

klb77's review

dark tense slow-paced

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

0.5

Genuinely fuck this. You can write about evil and morally bad characters without making them all severely insufferable. I wasn’t rooting for anyone or any thing other than the percentage bar to continue creeping further towards 100%. The cultural pieces were touched on and then fully abandoned instead of properly delved into and considered- do the characters even care about their own ethnicities? Or are they just using them for instagram followers… Does the author even care about their ethnicities? She certainly didn’t honor them or hold any sort of cultural context within the story she chose to write. 

Do you want to know what happens in this book? Read the synopsis and then the final 10% for the lack of resolution or accountability from every single person involved in this shit show. Nothing else happens other than one self-righteous fight and one bit of drama at an event. the ONLY bit of additional drama that occurs at the single defined event of the entire book. 

If you want fanfiction of AD and Clay from Love Is Blind: here it is. The “I can fix him” and the “She’ll stand by me no matter what harm I do to her” thinking they can successfully have a marriage between them. 

This book was entirely one-note and the ending wasn’t the end of anything or an ending marked by change or growth or accountability or even fucking acknowledgment of inciting events. The plot holes were jarring and entirely unforgivable and every side character was interchangeable with eachother. Petty points off for the chapter titles being huge spoilers as well. 

The only compliment I can give is that it was an accurate representation of a shithead man but I already knew PLENTY about that from dropping my own last year. Beat for beat they had similar thoughts and excuses. The audiobook narrator did well wresting and differentiating all of the different one note characters and their accents. The content was truly enraging but her job was very well done.  

In the Q&A between the voice actor/narrator and the author I found the jokes about cancelling *them* over tiny things to be wildly tone deaf. Do you truly think a self deprecating joke about your own work is equivalent to date rape/kidnapping/assault/ coercion/etc etc etc etc listed in your own fucking book? Now who’s trivializing things? The lack of proper content warnings is abhorrent considering the thing I’ve chosen to spoiler over below. 

Maybe it’s cold but the only thing I was rooting for was

for michael’s suicide attempt to have been successful. It really would’ve saved everyone the hassle of knowing him and dealing with his bullshit. He couldn’t even off himself correctly and then couldn’t even take accountability for the fact that he even attempted it??? Mans can dodge every single thing in his life including cars I guess. I wanted to hit him again hearing that. 

Also why the fuck did he wake up with a feeding tube. That makes no sense. the science in this book sucked shit too but now I truly am being petty.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Sexual content, Stalking, Gaslighting, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Cursing, Addiction, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Classism, Medical content, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Suicide, Outing, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Biphobia

Minor: Vomit and Kidnapping

yalibrarianjen's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

nanirump's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective tense medium-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

This was an intriguing premise for a book and it wasn't difficult to read but did I like any of the characters? No. Did I sympathise with them? Mostly no. Michael was still an asshole, it's hard to know why Ola liked him but Ola was quite vapid herself. Sadly, nothing really landed with me or packed a punch. I don't even really see the point the author was trying to make. Are we defending men for the small percentage where allegations are false? Are we excusing another man's actions because his girlfriend cheated on him? I kind of liked the twist at the end and liked that it resolved but it could have also not given us a definitive answer and for once, I would have been ok with it. Like, why are we focusing on the very few falsely accused? This book just made me dislike men even more. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Sexism, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Cultural appropriation, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Suicide, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Drug use

emilyandthewhippet's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Domestic abuse, Racism, Grief, Hate crime, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Infidelity, Misogyny, Outing, Pedophilia, Suicide, Cursing, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Bullying, Death, Medical content, Mental illness, Rape, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and Violence

janaaier's review

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

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

3.5

The List has a topical premise that could alienate readers during its process but holds complexity in its realism. It could be read as a capsule of different abuse apologist perspectives. The way the main characters' self-justifying script is portrayed through a critical lense but the journey is a bumpy ride. I think the majority of the book is directed towards those who entertain simplistic perspectives on interpersonal violence. It was a little exhausting to read about a build-a-boyfriend corporate feminist dithering ad nauseum about her hypocritical personal politics. It was also tiring to read the perspective of the aforementioned unbuilt boyfriend, the petty misogynist podcaster. 

The main characters are both deeply self-interested and morally grey from the beginning. The book is obsessed with what the List means for the main couple's material circumstances: reputation and money. The input they receive from side characters is also focused for the majority of the book on the social and professional consequences of the accusations. Many of the characters come across as unprincipled and disappointing. The brief guilty conscience scenes asides, the cast do not think of reaching out to potential victims, healing community harm, or ensuring the safety of friends and family - mostly distasteful masticating over damage control. That being said, the book is very aware of the characters' flaws and illuminates them.

It felt like reading a social horror.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Bullying, Car accident, Rape, Violence, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, and Alcohol