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ienbdri's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
rachelblair's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Murder
dandan10's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Grief, and Murder
accidentalfolklore's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Great book that had me invested in the story and characters. The ending is a little flat as others have mentioned. That’s because this story is more about the characters and how people grow over time. Thing about something like the Color Purple, Fried Green Tomatoes, Where the Crawdads Sing. I get the same vibe from those books where you have a rich world and characters who are enveloped in it with feeling separate from it. I loved the addition of an LGBTQ+ character. Im on the spectrum but a different one. I felt it was done very authentically but I’ll let people who identify in that category speak on how well it was portrayed. I’m being vague only for spoiler purposes since I wasn’t expecting it but loved how it was introduced and evolved with story progression.
Minor: Racism, Slavery, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria
rarasreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I found the story and writing quite engaging and expansive in relation to the content covered. As a reader, I was compelled to reflect on race, gender, colorism, family, and the overarching theme of identity throughout. However, I believe the breadth of the topics serve as a drawback in it of itself as I felt the author was unable to illustrate those topics in depth. This did not do justice to several of the characters’ narratives.
While I also understand how the story unfolded for Stella and Desiree, I felt the ending left much more to be desired.
I still think this is an important read that additionally makes a great selection for book clubs.
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Murder
bookedbymadeline's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Chapters could be a little long for my taste but I didn’t always mind it. I was intrigued and captivated by the well-developed, complex characters! I especially enjoyed the switching POVs and spanning across years/decades to follow the twins and the family. There were times I hated characters and other times I sympathized with them.
Graphic: Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Dementia, Grief, and Dysphoria
meganm1587's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Racism, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting
squeakfan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Racism and Murder
Minor: Sexual assault
ashely_56's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It demonstrates how whiteness is purely a creation of perspective. Yet it proves how deadly and cruel that perspective is.
Stella makes a choice and she has to live with the consequences of that choose everyday.
While climax of the story was a quieter storm than I anticipated it didn't make it any less impact full or the grief less palpable.
The story does not end as neatly or with the amount of closure most readers like myself were hoping for. However that is more reflective of real life, our complicated relationship often don't end with the right amount of closure we need and we end of living with that grief.
This story is one of how each women lives with her grief and how that impacts their relationships with other.
This book is definitely a new favorite.
It felt like it took quite a while for the story to get started, but once it did it was outstanding and gripping!
Overall an impressive and impact read for Black History Month.
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence, Murder, and Abandonment
erinvasut's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment