Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'
Blackout by Angie Thomas, Dhonielle Clayton, Ashley Woodfolk, Nic Stone, Nicola Yoon, Tiffany D. Jackson
37 reviews
blewballoon's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
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
I am normally not a big fan of short story collections, but this one worked better for me because all of the stories are taking place during the same event and there are a lot of connections between the characters in each story. There was also one story that we would keep coming back to. I wished there were more characters that weren't high school students dealing with teenage romances, but then I remembered this is YA and that's the intended audience. There was only one story I didn't really care for, but otherwise I thought the writing was solid. I listened to this on audiobook and the narrators also did a great job, though I preferred some over others.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent and Panic attacks/disorders
skemamimpi's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Death of parent
tigger89's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
4.0
This was another read for work, and definitely not my preferred genre. However, I was surprised by what I was able to find to enjoy. I think if you're someone who enjoys short, sweet, YA love stories, this book would be perfect for you. I will caution that these aren't romances, as not every one ends in a happily-ever-after or happy-for-now. But I will say that the main character in each story winds up fulfilled, whatever that might mean in their situation, so there are no bad endings in this book.
Aside from the obvious not-my-genre situation, the other thing I didn't like about this book was how inconsistently well anxiety was portrayed. Contrasting Mask Off with The Long Walk, I found the depiction of Tremaine's claustrophobia very relatable, and while at first Tammi's anxiety over the impending bridge situation was also spot-on, at the end it evaporated in a puff of plot resolution. True love doesn't overcome crippling anxiety! That's like everybody cheering as the guy in the wheelchair gets up and starts walking at the end of the movie. It just…doesn't work like that. Sure would be nice if it did!
There's some LGB content in this book, for those who look for that. Mask Off is about two boys, and Made to Fit is sapphic(also ownvoices, or close enough — Ashley Woodfolk is bi). T+ content is limited to the background, however.
If rating just off my own opinion, I would probably give this a 3.5, based largely off of how much I (unexpectedly!) genuinely enjoyed No Sleep Till Brooklyn. However, because I have few constructive complaints and mostly just feel that it was Not For Me, I'm going to be generous and bump it up to a 4.
Aside from the obvious not-my-genre situation, the other thing I didn't like about this book was how inconsistently well anxiety was portrayed. Contrasting Mask Off with The Long Walk, I found the depiction of Tremaine's claustrophobia very relatable, and while at first Tammi's anxiety over the impending bridge situation was also spot-on, at the end it evaporated in a puff of plot resolution. True love doesn't overcome crippling anxiety! That's like everybody cheering as the guy in the wheelchair gets up and starts walking at the end of the movie. It just…doesn't work like that. Sure would be nice if it did!
There's some LGB content in this book, for those who look for that. Mask Off is about two boys, and Made to Fit is sapphic(also ownvoices, or close enough — Ashley Woodfolk is bi). T+ content is limited to the background, however.
If rating just off my own opinion, I would probably give this a 3.5, based largely off of how much I (unexpectedly!) genuinely enjoyed No Sleep Till Brooklyn. However, because I have few constructive complaints and mostly just feel that it was Not For Me, I'm going to be generous and bump it up to a 4.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Terminal illness, Dementia, Cancer, Death of parent, Homophobia, and Racism
Claustrophobia is depicted in Mask Off, and acrophobia in The Long Walk.bkyng313's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
i really enjoyed this book. very cute and it made me feel good. i do wish it had a more cohesive ending about how everyone ended up at the block party though. other than that it was a great start to my year of reading in 2023
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Death of parent
bookworm247's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Infidelity, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse
books_xoxo's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
5.0
I freaking love this book. It was so good. Love the way every author made the characters somehow connected to each other, loved the relationships the characters were able to develop.
Simply I loved everything and ofc Kareem too.
Simply I loved everything and ofc Kareem too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Death of parent
laurataylor's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Alcohol, Cancer, and Death
mxbluet18's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-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
4.75
One style of book I enjoy reading is queer stories, and books with diverse characters (in every sense). While I'm not one of the people being represented in these stories, I still like reading them because it feels good knowing that the people who don't get representation often are in this book.
~
It's a combination of several stories, with several characters of various ethnicities and queer identities. And that's something that unfortunately isn't seen too often in literature, especially the intersection of queer and POC.
~
I liked how the various characters from the stories featured all come together at the end of the book, even if they're not all mentioned you get snapshots of them.
~
One small thing that annoyed me a little bit is how some stories didn't get a complete ending. They didn't get a clear resolution to the issue they had. However, that's not life, and not all stories will have that, so it's a very minor thing.
~
It's a combination of several stories, with several characters of various ethnicities and queer identities. And that's something that unfortunately isn't seen too often in literature, especially the intersection of queer and POC.
~
I liked how the various characters from the stories featured all come together at the end of the book, even if they're not all mentioned you get snapshots of them.
~
One small thing that annoyed me a little bit is how some stories didn't get a complete ending. They didn't get a clear resolution to the issue they had. However, that's not life, and not all stories will have that, so it's a very minor thing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Racism
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
maregred's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent
thebakerbookworm's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.0
This was such a cute collection of short stories about young love and discovering who you are—all set against a blackout in New York City.
For being short stories, they were all connected and worked well together; these characters are all unknowingly trying to get to the same block party, which made for a fitting finale. I loved how much we learn about each character even though we don't spend a ton of time with any of them—it was great writing! I loved that NYC felt like its own character; it's always fun when authors do that.
Overall, these were sweet stories celebrating young Black love that made my heart happy and hopeful. Definitely recommend if you enjoy YA romance or if you just need a lighthearted pick-me-up book.
For being short stories, they were all connected and worked well together; these characters are all unknowingly trying to get to the same block party, which made for a fitting finale. I loved how much we learn about each character even though we don't spend a ton of time with any of them—it was great writing! I loved that NYC felt like its own character; it's always fun when authors do that.
Overall, these were sweet stories celebrating young Black love that made my heart happy and hopeful. Definitely recommend if you enjoy YA romance or if you just need a lighthearted pick-me-up book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Death of parent, Bullying, and Grief
Minor: Homophobia, Death, and Cancer