modernthymes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Bullying, Homophobia, and Racism
Moderate: Stalking and Sexual harassment
Minor: Police brutality, Gun violence, and Fire/Fire injury
mrmarshall591'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
Definitely a psychological thriller, with similar vibes to ‘Get Out’ (although both are completely different stories focusing on different aspects of horrors related to racism).
4 stars because there was a lot I wish was expanded upon, like a follow-up on characters such a Belle, Scotty, Andre and Jack.
Also, I absolutely love how on the author’s websites there is art depicting the major characters. I have a hard time visualizing things based on descriptions and that really helped! I only found it writing this review since I went searching for one of the character’s names.
I really enjoyed the author’s note, which mentions how the book was written over the course of her college career which is very symbolic to the course of the story.
Graphic: Gaslighting, Outing, Death of parent, Classism, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Hate crime, Racism, and Stalking
Moderate: Confinement, Violence, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Blood, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, and Trafficking
Minor: Body shaming, Chronic illness, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, and Vomit
erinamerritt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Hate crime, and Violence
Moderate: Police brutality
Minor: Gun violence
brinasatt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Classism, Hate crime, Outing, Homophobia, Racism, and Bullying
Moderate: Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Car accident, Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, and Stalking
Minor: Blood, Death of parent, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, and Fire/Fire injury
temymm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Stalking, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Murder, Bullying, Drug use, Outing, Physical abuse, and Car accident
Minor: Cursing, Death of parent, Alcohol, Suicide attempt, Blood, Gun violence, and Police brutality
The big things to note are that this book deals with racism and stalking. As in, that is the premise of the book. It deals with institutional racism. Do. Not. Read. If that is not something you can read. There is also a lot of dark shit that happens quickly, from mentions of police brutality to suicide attempts to realising that a parent is dead. There is a recurring theme of vehicular murder, though unintentional, and an MC is in a relationship with a drug dealer. This book is dark at times, but Àbíké-Íyímídé handles it WONDERFULLYkdailyreads'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Drug use, Blood, Classism, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Death of parent, Racism, Violence, Car accident, Homophobia, Outing, Racial slurs, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cursing, Grief, and Abandonment
Minor: Slavery, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, and Vomit
kathleenes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Self harm, Bullying, Classism, Homophobia, Death, Hate crime, Racism, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Outing, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, and Car accident
cjreadstoomuch's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Hate crime, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Homophobia
Moderate: Racial slurs, Emotional abuse, and Stalking
Minor: Sexual assault, Misogyny, and Police brutality
bookishchef's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Spoiler
I read the Get Out comparison and somehow I still didn't expect ALL of the white people to be in on it.I kept assuming it was either Jamie, Jack or Belle (in that order from most likely to least). So when the answer turned out to be "yes, and also all of the other characters", I was shook.
I really enjoyed the ride though, even though I thought the final plottwist
Spoiler
(with the news outlet being evil and the school going up in flames)Spoiler
The entire time while Terell and Chiamaka were chatting about breaking the story to the news, I was very sceptical. It felt so dumb? Especially after all they'd been through and the Belle revealing there were way more people in on it.There are also still some things that puzzle me:
Spoiler
1. Was Scotty in on it too? If so, he's a damn good actor if he convinced both Devon and Chiamaka that he didn't do it. His storyline got dropped halfway through the book so we never really got a resolution there.
2. What happened to Belle? She told Chiamaka what was happening and I don't assume that her family took kindly to that.
3. How did Devon end up the way he did? We get a little bit of an answer to that in the prologue, which shows that he's living with Terell and his mother but... How? He obviously wasn't getting into Juilliard and he dropped out. Yet the epilogue letter calls him "professor". So what did he do? How did he manage?
4. What happened to Andre? Is he still serving time? Am I not supposed to care?
5. Why did Devon's mom hide his father's death from him? It is said in the epilogue that Devon and his mother weren't on speaking terms for a while after he confronted her... And then what? How did that conversation go? This subplot feels unfinished now.
6. Was Peter the Hacker in on it too? If so, why did he help Chiamaka by revealing what pc the messages were send from? Why did he ask her to put in a good word for him with Belle if he knew Belle's family was in on it too?
And if he wasn't in on it, how did Aces expect the black students to not (accidentally) ask one of the students that wasn't in Aces for help?
I also have a minor headcanon/conspiracy:
Spoiler
We're told by a news anchor that the fire that burns down Niveus was caused by electrical issues. Which seems fair because those issues were mentioned many times before.
Only I thought those issues were just Aces manipulating the cameras, etc. With how it was set up, I assumed Jamie burned down the library. He was set up as a pyromaniac early on, and then threatened Chiamaka with his lighter. So, when she left him, angry and alone, in the library with his lighter, I assumed he was the cause of the fire.
Which he may still have been. After all, the book tells the reader many times that the media covers up white crimes all the time. But Jamie, according to the news broadcast, died in the fire. So that would mean he burned down the school without giving himself an escape? Or was he really that upset about being attracted to/friends with a black girl? I guess we'll never know. So, headcanon land it is.
Graphic: Hate crime, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, Violence, Homophobia, Bullying, Car accident, Gaslighting, Racism, Sexual harassment, and Outing
Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Death of parent, Alcohol, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Stalking, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Police brutality, Murder, Pregnancy, and Alcoholism
The N word is used once.aetherthedino's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Graphic: Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Homophobia, Outing, Racism, Classism, Violence, Hate crime, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Police brutality, Stalking, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Death of parent, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt