Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

The Sunshine Court by Nora Sakavic

27 reviews

mo345's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Confinement, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Trafficking, Death, Child abuse, Blood, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, and Rape

Moderate: Vomit

Minor: Medical content, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Gaslighting, Grief, and Homophobia

sleepybythelake's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.5

I don't even know where to begin. This book wrecked me into a million pieces page after page. Jean my baby, my son. My heart aches so bad my god!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Rape, Torture, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, and Animal death

Minor: Suicide

frantic_vampire's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

Holy fuck. For all that it has a bright sunshiny name, this book was absolutely brutal and devastating. With each passing chapter and every horrific little revelation about the abuse that Jean suffered I wanted to scream and cry and rage on his behalf. I loved that Jean was able to find little bright spots of happiness in the smallest things like cooking with Cat, (begrudgingly) shopping with Laila, and having Jeremy as his partner. I also loved that they gave Jean the space he needed, respected privacy (for the most part), and accepted his boundaries (only pushing them when they absolutely had to).

There is so much to unpack with this book and I don’t think I caught everything that was happening in this read. So a reread is definitely needed before the next book comes out. But my god. This was probably one of the most emotionally devastating books I think I’ve ever read. It’s getting a solid five stars and I don’t know what I’m gonna do with myself until the next book comes out.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Rape, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Self harm, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Homophobia, Vomit, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Medical content, Stalking, Body horror, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Trafficking, Child death, Gun violence, and Death

nikoops's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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

5.0

The newest novel in the All for the Game series focus on former Raven, marked #3 for the Perfect Court, Jean Moreau and his transfer to USC. The book delves into Jean’s past, and his treatment under Riko, Coach Moriyama, and the Ravens. Chapters switch POVs between Jean, and captain of USC’s Exy team (the Trojans), Jeremy Knox. 

Sakavic’s writing and character development remain as strong as they were in previous installments, but with a bit more depth into the plot set up in earlier books—Jean’s perspective is a welcome puzzle piece to help fill in the universe Sakavic has created. 

Definitely looking foreword to where Jean’s story goes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Stalking, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Child abuse, Medical trauma, Self harm, Sexual violence, Bullying, Mental illness, Death, Murder, Torture, Confinement, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Physical abuse, Rape, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

The abuse Jean faced at Evermore is discussed, it is explicitly stated that sexual violence/rape happened to him along with water boarding, cutting, burning, and various other forms of abuse/torture. Jean has a run-in with one of his abusers, and is hurt in the interaction both physically/mentally.

nathanae88's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

5.0

TL;DR: if you have read* and liked** the All For The Game series you HAVE TO read this.
  *) if not, go do that now! (check trigger warnings.) **) if not, don't read TSC!😅🙈 

It is always difficult going into a book with high expectations. In this case it was both from loving the first series so much (which was published 10 years ago!!) a series driven so much by the characters and their interactions and (lack of 😅) development as well when the new book focuses on new people! (plus seeing many other people rate it 5 stars). The first third of the book then starts by retelling the second half of The King's Men from a different perspective (always difficult to pull of in a way that doesn't seem repetitive) and mostly from the POV of a character that wasn't that likeable in the original books (Jean Moreau, "third best player" in the fictional sport of Exy) even though the characters were all quite the grumpy, dysfunctional, traumatised bunch. So he fits right in there. 😅  and I wend from grudging acdeptance to "DON'T TOUCH MY BABY"🥺
As told in book 3, Jean has escaped the toxic team, The Ravens after a particularly vicious attack by his team's captain, Riko, and has signed with the Trojans, a team who are famous for their cheery disposition and friendly, sportsmanlike behaviour during games. Their Captain, Jeremy takes Jean under his wing. Jeremy gives off massive Golden Retriever energy. Such a happy, good boy and always at Jean's side, looking out for him and trying to be his friend and to protect him... he tries to get Jean to open up about his past and to show him he deserves happiness. 🥺🥺🥺
this was the kind of book where I dreaded the end and that rumor has it there will be only one more book. I need about 15 more! 

The book does not work as a standalone and the list of trigger warnings is almost as long for this one as it was for the other three books.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Rape, Torture, Toxic friendship, Violence, Bullying, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Alcoholism and Murder

monster_13's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Violence, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Confinement, Self harm, Sexual assault, Rape, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Abandonment and Child abuse

aylen_96's review

challenging emotional inspiring reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Trafficking, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Grief, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Moderate: Torture, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, and Violence

emck0610's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Fair warning, there are a lot of potential triggers in this story. After reading All for the Game—I expected to read pretty awful information in The Sunshine Court about what Jean had been through as a Raven. I knew I would, but it still hit me pretty hard when faced with the information. 

As far as the Trojans we get to know better—Laila, Cat, and Jeremy are definitely the people I’d want in my corner any day of the week. The characters stole a bit of the show in the original trilogy and I’m really glad to see more of them as they try to help Jean settle in. 

If you liked the original All for the Game trilogy then I think you’ll get more of what you’d expect out of this novel. Nora Sakavich is not in a rush to tell the entire story in one novel and I’m definitely intrigued to keep going. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Toxic friendship, Torture, Emotional abuse, and Grief

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Physical abuse, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Blood, Emotional abuse, Death, Torture, Toxic relationship, Bullying, and Sexual assault

Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Child death, and Murder

sadpendragon's review

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

real literature is back /lh

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual violence, Suicide, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Toxic friendship, Grief, Sexual harassment, Blood, Biphobia, and Sexual assault

Minor: Murder, Child death, Adult/minor relationship, and Emotional abuse

kstephbeau03's review

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Medical trauma, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Suicide attempt, and Violence