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hollandmoriarty's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, and Police brutality
jainnyreads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Police brutality, Grief, and Murder
invaderlinz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, and Murder
heymilly's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Gun violence
kyinpublic's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use and Gun violence
onarosebeam's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Racism, and Police brutality
Minor: Gun violence
jennastopreading's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Biggie, Biggie, Biggie, can’t you see? Sometimes your words just hypnotize me…
Replace Biggie with Tiffany Jackson’s name in that hook, and you have my feelings about this YA masterpiece. Why aren’t more people reading/talking about this book?! Seriously, this book should easily have 50,000 ratings on Goodreads by now
This book described life in 1990’s Bed-Stuy so vividly. I felt like I was walking the streets with the teens and like I was a part of their friendships and romances. The development of each character kept me completely engrossed as I peeled back the layer of each of their stories and learned the motives behind every action they took throughout the course of the novel.
5 adjectives to describe this book:
conversational – I recommend listening to the audio for at least part of it if you can.
informative – I learned so much about a time period/place I didn’t get to live through as an adult.
raw – the way Jackson accesses and expresses emotions is unbelievably powerful.
gripping – never bored.
suspenseful
conversational – I recommend listening to the audio for at least part of it if you can.
informative – I learned so much about a time period/place I didn’t get to live through as an adult.
raw – the way Jackson accesses and expresses emotions is unbelievably powerful.
gripping – never bored.
suspenseful
5 things about this book (4 I loved, 1 I didn’t):
I loved the characters and their unique personalities. I always knew whose POV I was reading just by the language in it.
I loved the budding romance between two of our MC’s.
I loved that everything was not as it seemed.
I loved the layers – they were executed perfectly and woven together so intricately and flawlessly.
I didn’t love how quickly it wrapped up once the mystery was solved.
I loved the characters and their unique personalities. I always knew whose POV I was reading just by the language in it.
I loved the budding romance between two of our MC’s.
I loved that everything was not as it seemed.
I loved the layers – they were executed perfectly and woven together so intricately and flawlessly.
I didn’t love how quickly it wrapped up once the mystery was solved.
Overall, this book packs a powerful punch while still retaining its very readable YA skeleton. Absolutely recommend. 4.75 stars from me!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, and Racial slurs