Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo

21 reviews

atomicbritt's review

dark 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Drug use, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Death

Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Racism

btaylorb's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0

😭

The comparisons to The Raven Cycle are very accurate. There were some occasional descriptive moments that were confusing and I would have to re-read, but overall I loved this. Spooky shit, southern gothic, magic that is a stand-in for something else, a hint of dark academia and ending that is a glimmer of hope while also guaranteeing nothing, hurts so good, satisfyingly unsatisfying.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Murder, Blood, Suicide, Body horror, and Drug use

Moderate: Sexual content and Torture

Minor: Classism, Toxic friendship, and Racism

nikoops's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

4.5

Really great read for fans of a good old ghost story. Definitely leaves you wanting to know more about the fates of these characters, and there were definitely parts that had me wishing the author would have delved a bit deeper. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Torture, Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, Drug use, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Terminal illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Bullying

While this story does not contain incest between blood related siblings, the main character Andrew and Eddie are referred to as siblings by adoption at times, so the intense relationship they had may be read by some as having incest-ish vibes

holyschmitz's review

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-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

Woah. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Murder, Death of parent, Mental illness, Gore, Drug use, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Death, Classism, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Drug abuse, Cursing, Body horror, and Alcohol

hades_hotline's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

This book was addicting and lowkey traumatizing but a great read. The premise was very entertaining, and I love a good morally gray character. (do look into cw and tw before reading).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Murder, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death, Grief, and Alcohol

Moderate: Racism and Homophobia

Minor: Vomit and Gore

queerfucker's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-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

4.75

I luv gays being toxic bitches and learning to be better humans in the midst of their grief… with ghosts!

It can feel very slow and like days have actually been weeks, but grief and it’s distortion of time can do that. The descriptions are so vivid, but it can just feel like another paragraph to read at times.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Suicide attempt, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Grief, and Suicide

Moderate: Alcohol, Racism, and Drug use

dodgeremerson's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Body horror, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Death, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Alcohol, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Confinement, and Murder

Moderate: Homophobia, Cursing, Medical content, Physical abuse, Classism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Drug use, and Drug abuse

Minor: Religious bigotry, Car accident, Transphobia, and Death of parent

laguerrelewis's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.75

This book is oozing in atmosphere. Lee Mandelo has a way of describing things that cuts right to the heart of the image, transporting you into the story. This skill is employed to great effect in this creepy, tragic southern gothic. A story about haunting, inheritance, personhood, and love in all its fucked up forms, this is a great tale to raise the hair on your neck an leave you with a lot to consider.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Racism, Cursing, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Blood, Violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Sexual content, Classism, Gore, Death, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Toxic friendship, and Transphobia

remimicha's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Murder, Body horror, Toxic friendship, Grief, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Violence, Drug use, Death, Torture, Suicide, Blood, and Homophobia

Moderate: Classism, Racism, Car accident, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, Medical content, and Eating disorder

gcreed13's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Islamophobia, Drug use, Violence, Murder, Death, Suicide, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Homophobia