Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin

5 reviews

automatic_rae's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

An interesting concept, but not my cup of tea.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual violence, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Death, Mental illness, and Suicide

stephanieanneauthor's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Believe it or not, I haven't seen the movie yet (but it is on my list). But movie or no movie, I had to give the book a try as I'm a fan of Levin's writing style. I will note that the sound quality of the audiobook is less than stellar, but other than that this book is phenomenal. 

As someone who's lived through it, I love stories that involve gaslighting as it adds to the tension and discomfort. And I wanted to scream at some of the obstacles Rosemary encountered. In those early chapters, I wasn't too sure how I would feel about her, but I came to love her character arc. I've also noticed recently that I tend to be more drawn to domestic horror stories. There's something delightfully unsettling about home life gone wrong, and situations that should be safe and comforting, but are not. 

Can't wait to watch the movie now!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual violence, Blood, Rape, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Child death, and Sexual content

Minor: Addiction, Abortion, Miscarriage, and Homophobia

smolhandsdan's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Stalking, Misogyny, Body horror, Body shaming, Physical abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Confinement, Kidnapping, and Mental illness

Minor: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Rape, Sexism, and Religious bigotry

coco78337's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, Death, Rape, Violence, Body shaming, Gaslighting, and Grief

Minor: Cursing, Toxic friendship, and Miscarriage

scarlettreadsbooks's review

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Pregnancy

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Drug use, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Child death, Alcohol, and Blood