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amandalorianxo's review
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
3.0
I think for the intended audience this was written for (seniors who graduated and are moving on to college or this next phase in their post high school life) this could resonate with a lot of youth. In addition, this could also help those who lost someone close to them realize that grief isn't linear and the ways they try to cope should not be shamed. However, I am obviously way past the age of the intended audience so I saw this through a different lens. I saw Tuna as a realistic eighteen year old, especially when it came to her selfish and self-centered behavior. I understood that her older brother was grieving but that doesn't mean you act the way you did and not expect there to be consequences. Her obsession with Tristan also felt realistic but the way he was written didn't sit right with me. He was so dismissive and rude about Tuna's beliefs - how can you go back to that? There were some bits and pieces that could have been edited to make more sense (grammar, spelling and plot structure) but if you are looking for a short-ish book that in my opinion flew under the radar in recent years, this one might be for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Minor: Death
legalplanner's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
I want to thank the author and netgalley for allowing me to read this book early in exchange of an honest review.
I loved our not stupidstitious narrator Tuna Rashad and her ever over the top shenanigans.
We meet Tuna, a future screen play writer, trying to make her own meet cute happen with the guy she's been crushing on for years before heading off to college in the fall. But, Tuna is worried about her overbearing widower brother, Robby, and her eccentric parents ruining any chance she has of getting together with Tristan, the guy of her dreams.
Tuna is always doing something ridiculous because the ancestors have told her so through signs. She takes the heritage of her family seriously in regards to superstitions and old traditions. Her friends and brother do not understand because they believe in science.
We get to know more about Tuna and her family when the "tyrant" is coming over for dinner. It doesn't become clear until the first few chapters about why Robby is a tyrant and how he became a widower. As we get further into the novel we find that Tuna loves to meddle and turns everything she does into some sort of "higher" experience, but really is scheming.
I really enjoyed this, it was my first experience with Deen's writing. Tuna's narration style cracked me up throughout the novel. I enjoyed her sidebars, her directness, and overall her obviously just turned adultness. Watching her try to navigate the 3 months prior to college where everyone is cramming full of memories and trying to hold on to the last shards of high school watching her feels real.
Grief was a major topic of this book, and as someone who lost a loved one recently it was a good reminder that grief is not linear. Each person handles loss differently, and for some it may be harder to over come than others. However, it also speaks to the situations where sometimes it becomes impossible to grieve because you're protecting others and that is not okay either. I liked seeing Tuna try to understand but needing to vent her own grief and not knowing how because they aren't supposed to.
At first glance I might think that this book is all about tuna and what she finds in the signs and wonders of the world, this is far from that. I think the grief and navigating that is the focus of this book as much as the family. Sure I'm rooting for Tuna to get her meet cute and man, but I'm also looking to the growth that happened. The diversity being included, but not necessarily talked about its just there felt nice because it was just accepted and not ever questioned.
Overall this was a quick read and would be great for learning how to handle grief, or even how to approach it with others. I would absolutely recommend this to my friends.
I loved our not stupidstitious narrator Tuna Rashad and her ever over the top shenanigans.
We meet Tuna, a future screen play writer, trying to make her own meet cute happen with the guy she's been crushing on for years before heading off to college in the fall. But, Tuna is worried about her overbearing widower brother, Robby, and her eccentric parents ruining any chance she has of getting together with Tristan, the guy of her dreams.
Tuna is always doing something ridiculous because the ancestors have told her so through signs. She takes the heritage of her family seriously in regards to superstitions and old traditions. Her friends and brother do not understand because they believe in science.
We get to know more about Tuna and her family when the "tyrant" is coming over for dinner. It doesn't become clear until the first few chapters about why Robby is a tyrant and how he became a widower. As we get further into the novel we find that Tuna loves to meddle and turns everything she does into some sort of "higher" experience, but really is scheming.
I really enjoyed this, it was my first experience with Deen's writing. Tuna's narration style cracked me up throughout the novel. I enjoyed her sidebars, her directness, and overall her obviously just turned adultness. Watching her try to navigate the 3 months prior to college where everyone is cramming full of memories and trying to hold on to the last shards of high school watching her feels real.
Grief was a major topic of this book, and as someone who lost a loved one recently it was a good reminder that grief is not linear. Each person handles loss differently, and for some it may be harder to over come than others. However, it also speaks to the situations where sometimes it becomes impossible to grieve because you're protecting others and that is not okay either. I liked seeing Tuna try to understand but needing to vent her own grief and not knowing how because they aren't supposed to.
At first glance I might think that this book is all about tuna and what she finds in the signs and wonders of the world, this is far from that. I think the grief and navigating that is the focus of this book as much as the family. Sure I'm rooting for Tuna to get her meet cute and man, but I'm also looking to the growth that happened. The diversity being included, but not necessarily talked about its just there felt nice because it was just accepted and not ever questioned.
Overall this was a quick read and would be great for learning how to handle grief, or even how to approach it with others. I would absolutely recommend this to my friends.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death