Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

All-Night Pharmacy by Ruth Madievsky

31 reviews

lifewaits4no1's review against another edition

dark

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

3.5

Wow, this book was a lot. The author did a good job showing the difficulties of addiction and toxic relationships, but I felt like all of the characters were unlikeable and I didn't feel anything for them. The ending felt rushed and like there really wasn't closure between the main character and Sasha or her sister. I think the missing sister plot should have had more weight in the book based off of her hold on our main character. Also what ends up happening with Apples long term?????????

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Addiction, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, and Miscarriage

hazel_oat's review

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Drug abuse, Antisemitism, Drug use, and Sexual content

Moderate: Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, and Excrement

frances_frances's review

dark emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.0

The prose was so sharp and the unnamed narrator was complex and believable. And the way intergenerational trauma was dealt with was interesting. The pacing was a bit uneven for me. The first half really flowed and the second half wasn't as tight. As an aside, I don't think I'm super into coming of age story lines. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction and Drug abuse

Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Self harm, Sexual violence, Rape, and Sexual assault

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, and Child abuse

a_bythesea's review

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Miscarriage, Drug use, and Addiction

samcanuel's review

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

The characters and plot of this book are quite messy, but it was beautifully written and very honest. The story had so many layers, between the main characters’ struggles with addiction, her identity, her family, and her love life. Each layer and the ways that they intertwined were treated with great care.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Drug use, Alcohol, Cursing, Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical content

Moderate: Blood, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Death, Hate crime, Infidelity, Abandonment, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Cancer, Vomit, War, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Suicide

anna_rubin's review

dark emotional reflective 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Drug abuse, Addiction, and Drug use

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

gh0stbird's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

I'm a queer Jewish woman with a strained relationship with my sister, so this book was practically written for me. I don't know what else to say

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, and Drug abuse

skylarak's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

4.0

Not your typical story about Jewish ancestral trauma! A good reminder that it’s born fair or helpful to paint it all with one brush. Came for the Moldovan Jewish representation, stayed for the squirrel candies, sour cherry varenkiki, mamaliga, and iguana, and Suboxone rep! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Medical content, Drug use, Addiction, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual assault, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis

maison's review

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Addiction, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Miscarriage

Minor: Vomit, Pedophilia, and Violence

vhornstein's review

emotional reflective fast-paced

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

3.0

This was not for me. Though the emotions of the main character were reflective of her journey to find herself, I found much of the book over an overwritten attempt at melancholy. Descriptions felt overly brooding and observing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Addiction