Reviews with content warning for Infertility - Skye Falling

Reviews tagging 'Infertility'

bootrat's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective 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

3.5

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bookishkellyn's review

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funny reflective

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

While on sabbatical from her self-owned company for Black Travelers (We Outchea), Skye is tracked down by her “kid” (Victoria ‘Vicky’) after the birth mother’s passing. Spending time with Vicky and her guardian (Aunt Faye) makes her realize that she’s in denial about her social needs and forces her to face her attachment issues. Knowing what to do is easy but making changes is the hard part. This was a relatable but hilarious (and unapologetically Black) book. Skye’s hysterically funny internal thoughts had no chill and easily won this book a spot in my ‘Favorites’ category.

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sarahsbookstacks's review

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challenging 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

4.5

4.5 stars and wow what a read! I borrowed this from the library for book club and based on the cover and title, I thought it was sci-fi… it is decidedly not.

The storytelling felt like I was sitting in a cozy place having a conversation with Skye. The casualness of the prose helped balance the heavy subject matter, and added a layer of humor that was very needed. I’m so glad I read this book!

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shector1's review

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emotional reflective relaxing 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

4.5

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eviecheesepuff's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

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

This one is a complicated one.

I really wanted to love this book. The premise was interesting, the diverse list of characters was inspiring and the cover is gorgeous (which is always a plus).

However the way these topics were executed really put me off reading and I struggled to finish the book. I really wanted it to turn around on the second half and so I pushed myself till the end. I regret that now and I wish that I would have dnfed it.

I feel like diversity in a book is a necessity. Everyone is mixed together in this goldfish bowl that is earth. However, this book felt to me like it was trying harder to check every diversity box more than actually invest time and depth on the characters and their struggles. For some reason the few times the author started to do so, her main character (who is a grown adult with her own business) would make terrible decisions and crack jokes about them. I think this was an attempt to lighten the mood, but it actually prevented the few good points made throughout the novel to hit home. It was just like when you’re watching Pirates of the Caribbean and the scene is extremely dramatic but you’re distracted by Jack Sparrow being a fool in the background. I love that on my Disney movies, but not on a novel that advertises itself as social commentary dealing with struggles of queerness and racism.

For example, this book has a Latina trans woman. As a Hispanic woman who emigrated to USA myself, I was expecting to really bond with that character, however shes such a stereotypical Hispanic person that I felt I was being made fun off most of the time. There is not a single sentence she speaks that does not include a Spanish word. I can not talk like that. Hell, not even Gloria from Modern Family does that so often! It was disappointing that I couldn’t see myself in the character targeted to me in a book so full of minorities.

Writing a book is really hard, so before leaving a bad review, I like to research and ask for other people’s opinions before actually making my mind completely, as sometimes it’s hard to see out of one’s bubble. I read passages of this book to my friends. All of them (Hispanic, Black and White) agreed that this book has a really bad habit of villainizing white characters. I understand that there are very real and serious racist issues in the world regarding the mistreatment at the hand of white people and the privilege they have in comparison to others sometimes (I’ve seen instances of this throughout my life), but this book (which was presented to me as a media that was trying to bring light into this issues) is actually, if anything, adding to them. Which sucks because I was really hoping to be able to list this book as a staple of modern social awareness regarding mistreatment of POC.

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abbie_'s review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

4.0

I really enjoyed this!! From the perspective of a 39-year-old queer woman who has ran from commitment all her life, it was a refreshing change from the younger queer narratives we know and love. Skye is messy sure but who doesn't love a bit of messiness.

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symabee's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

So this book has been sitting on my shelf for a year, and I'm honestly disappointed in myself for not reading it sooner, because I really enjoyed it.

Skye is a black, queer woman in her late 30s from Philadelphia. She's a loner who travels the world for work and lives life on her own terms. During a visit home she meets a girl who is her biological daughter from an egg donation she did 12 years earlier. She decides to stick around for a while to get to know the kid, but in doing so she also has to face a lot of unresolved trauma and decide what she really wants out of life.

The two main complaints I see in other reviews is the writing style, and Skye being an unlikable character. First, I related to Skye in a lot of ways (not sure what that says about me as a person but that's besides the point). As a white woman, I can't fully understand the racial issues she faces, but I did relate to her troubled family dynamic, and her habit of pushing her friends and family away. I personally loved the writing style. It's written in first person, in a Fleabag sort of way where you feel like Skye is talking to you at times.

This book dealt with a lot of heavy topics and made me reflect on my own life and relationships, but it somehow also made me laugh out loud at times.

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hyac1nthgirl's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-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

mckenzie is so freakin funny, i loved this book. though my frustration with skye was constant, im sure that that allowed for me to appreciate her growth even more. very emotional at times, but nicely wrapped with a few laughs. my only complaint is that the last 30ish pages felt rushed? not complete? out of place? but still a satisfying ending with the epilogue.

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