Tag Archives: toxic relationship

Review: Through Our Teeth by Pamela N. Harris

Book Review and Content, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,
Through Our Teeth by Pamela N. Harris

Through Our Teeth
Pamela N. Harris
Quill Tree Books
Published September 16, 2025

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About Through Our Teeth

Three teens investigate a murder—while each tries to hide their own complicated history with the dead girl—in this thought-provoking novel from award-winning author Pamela N. Harris. Perfect for fans of Karen M. McManus and Tiffany D. Jackson!

Hope Jackson is dead. Everyone is convinced she took her own life, but Liv, one of Hope’s best friends, isn’t so sure. Hope’s boyfriend, Brendan, was always jealous and possessive, and his alibi doesn’t really check out. But in the town’s eyes, Hope was just some nobody who was going to drag down golden boy Brendan. 

So with the help of Hope’s other two best friends, Kizzie and Sherie, Liv is determined to bring Brendan’s actions to light. Together, they vow to make him pay.

But as their plans keep escalating, Liv begins to have second thoughts—especially as she’s realizing that Brendan may not be the only one with the motive or opportunity to kill Hope. Is Liv really getting justice for Hope, or is she just helping one of Hope’s so-called friends cover up their lies?

My Review

This book definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. Wow.

One thing that stands out to me about this book is the way that the author uses references to Wuthering Heights. I know to a lot of people, it’s a romantic story, but I can’t help thinking of it as the story of a family who abuse one another through multiple generations. Through Our Teeth had some of the same kinds of toxic relationships throughout.

On the surface, Liv’s friend group seems closeknit, if bent on vengeance– understandable when they believe their friend’s death wasn’t truly a suicide, and no one will listen to them. As the story peels back those surface layers, it’s clear that many relationships bear deep, unresolved wounds. Those hurts drive the characters to hurt back.

Liv isn’t an easy narrator to pin down for most of the story. She has her own secrets, and I found myself vacillating wildly between belief and blame as each new bit of information unfolded. I love that Harris writes complex characters like this. It feels realistic, and it compels readers to remember that people aren’t only their best or worst choices.

If you liked You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron, add this one to your reading list.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. References to sex. A boy shares photos of a topless girl online.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
References to an apparent death by suicide. Situations of peril. Reference to police brutality/death. A small group kidnap and drug someone. Someone intends to use a tattoo gun to hurt another person by tattooing harmful messages without consent. Descriptions of hitting someone. Descriptions of self-harm. Characters discover the bodies of murdered teens.

Drug Content
Teens attend a bonfire party where some drink alcohol. A teen drugs someone’s drink.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Hungry Ghost by Victoria Ying

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Graphic Novel or Adaptation, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , ,

Hungry Ghost
Victoria Ying
First Second
Published April 25, 2023

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About Hungry Ghost

A beautiful and heart-wrenching young adult graphic novel takes a look at eating disorders, family dynamics, and ultimately, a journey to self-love.

Valerie Chu is quiet, studious, and above all, thin. No one, not even her best friend Jordan, knows that she has been binging and purging for years. But when tragedy strikes, Val finds herself taking a good, hard look at her priorities, her choices, and her own body. The path to happiness may lead her away from her hometown and her mother’s toxic projections―but first she will have to find the strength to seek help.

My Review

Reading this book makes me think about the delicate balance that writing a story about disordered eating is. For some readers, it’s a triggering topic, so I imagine as an author, you’d want to be sensitive to that and tread lightly, limiting descriptions about the process and feelings associated with moments in the process. On the other hand, readers who aren’t familiar with disordered eating will have trouble engaging and/or be confused if there aren’t enough details to let them know what’s happening in the story and what the main character is feeling.

Ying does a great job threading that needle and letting readers know what’s happening without showing things in graphic detail. What jumps out the most is Val’s constant anxiety about food, her deep shame about her body, and the internalized harmful messages from her mother.

I love Val’s best friend Jordan. She has this upbeat energy and vibrance, which sharply contrasts with Val’s anxious, retreating presence on the page. That contrast in how Jordan takes up space and Val shrinks into herself highlights Val’s struggle.

There are a few moments that I wish the author had extended a little bit. At one point, Val and Jordan have an argument. Val says aloud the hurtful words she’s repeated in her head throughout the book. Ultimately, it nearly costs Val her friendship and makes her stop and think differently about the words she’s repeated to herself. I found myself wishing that the story lingered there and explored that a little more deeply, as well as going deeper into the conversation between Val and Jordan after the argument.

Conclusion

Ultimately, I appreciate the thoughtful way that the author approached such a personal, difficult topic. I’ve read other novels about disordered eating. I think this is the first graphic novel that I’ve seen address the topic. I’m really glad to see this book on the shelves, and I think it does a great job introducing readers to the topic of disordered eating.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 13 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to a crush. One panel shows two people kissing from a distance.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Depictions of disordered eating (bingeing and purging). Spoiler: Death of a parent. (select text to read)

Drug Content
Students mention margaritas but clarify they won’t be having any.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. All opinions are my own.

Review: Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , ,

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me
Mariko Tamaki
Illustrated by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell
First Second
Published May 7, 2019

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me

Author Mariko Tamaki and illustrator Rosemary Valero-O’Connell bring to life a sweet and spirited tale of young love in Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, a graphic novel that asks us to consider what happens when we ditch the toxic relationships we crave to embrace the healthy ones we need.

Laura Dean, the most popular girl in high school, was Frederica Riley’s dream girl: charming, confident, and SO cute. There’s just one problem: Laura Dean is maybe not the greatest girlfriend.

Reeling from her latest break up, Freddy’s best friend, Doodle, introduces her to the Seek-Her, a mysterious medium, who leaves Freddy some cryptic parting words: break up with her. But Laura Dean keeps coming back, and as their relationship spirals further out of her control, Freddy has to wonder if it’s really Laura Dean that’s the problem. Maybe it’s Freddy, who is rapidly losing her friends, including Doodle, who needs her now more than ever.

Fortunately for Freddy, there are new friends, and the insight of advice columnists like Anna Vice to help her through being a teenager in love.

My Review

I think I first heard about this book on the 100 Best YA Books of all Time list by Time Magazine. I’ve currently only read 49 out of the 100 books, but I’m trying to add a few to my reading list each year.

I liked a lot of things about this book. For one thing, each character had a well-defined emotional feel to them. It’s definitely one of those graphic novels in which the sum is greater than its parts, because there is something about the combination of spare text and the characters’ expressions or position within the panels that makes each one feel like a real person. Laura Dean? Yeah, I know some people who act like her. I feel like I’d recognize her on the street. And Freddy? I wanted to hug her. Doodle, too. I loved how much of the story happened in the expressions on the characters’ faces, too. I felt like whole conversations happened just in Doodle’s expressions in particular.

The story takes us on a roller coaster ride through Freddy and Laura’s relationship. At one point, Doodle takes Freddy to see a psychic, and I love how the woman sums up the problem in their relationship, comparing it to being caught in the middle of a square dance step (the two met while square dancing at school). Having been caught in a toxic relationship before, I thought that was a powerful metaphor for the way that it feels. The lack of closure and how you can’t get your feet under you because you got dropped mid-step. That made perfect sense to me. It also signaled to Freddy that she needed to take ownership of her feelings and the relationship narrative rather than feeling one step behind, following Laura’s lead.

Conclusion

All in all, I think Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me is really well done. Freddy’s emails to the advice columnist frame things nicely and show her grappling with questions for which she doesn’t have answers. I think anyone who’s survived a toxic relationship will find some things that resonate with them in this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
A few F-bombs and other swearing used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. References to sex. One character has an abortion. (Off-scene.)

Spiritual Content
Freddy and a friend go to see a psychic who gives Freddy advice on how to stop feeling miserable.

Violent Content
Freddy kisses someone without consent after seeing Laura with someone else.

Drug Content
Freddy gets drunk at a dance after spotting Laura making out with someone else. She throws up on the counter at a bakery and feels super embarrassed about it afterward.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. All opinions are my own.