beckylewis82's review
5.0
I don't even know where to begin with this book, I loved it so much!! I started listening to the audio of this while I was in my car driving for work but had to know how it ended so picked up my physical copy. We follow Sydney who lives in Brooklyn and notices some weird things going on her neighborhood. Her friends and neighbors who have been there her entire life are suddenly leaving with no goodbye and a new type of person is moving in. With the help of a new friend the two dig more deeply into what is happening. This was a great thrill ride from beginning to end and I highly recommend picking this one up! Thank you Netgalley and Librofm for my copies of this book.
booksrockcal's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book is a combination social commentary/mystery/thriller bordering on horror. Sydney is a Brooklyn native who loves her neighborhood and the people in it. She notices her neighbors are disappearing and their houses and businesses are being sold to upscale white buyers. While doing research for a walking tour undertaken with a neighbor she discovers some horrific facts about what’s happening to the neighborhood and the social commentary story turns into a thriller with horror elements. This book lays bare the effects of gentrification and the powerlessness of the people of color whose neighborhoods are gentrified.
crowgirl1990's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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? No
3.75
This one was a doozy. I thought I knew what to expect but I was thrown off a bit. This one is supposed to be a thriller but the thrill doesn't appear until the last 100 pages or so. I was delighted by all the West Indian references and turns out the author lives in the West Indies. The main character was constantly thinking about race and making references to race and while I can understand that as a POC myself, it felt like her mindset about race dominated her personality and made her unlikable for me. I found myself very very annoyed with her. Overall, I did enjoy the book, I wish it had been more of a slow burn instead of a spark and then fireworks.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Violence
ateodozja's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
3.0
ming4's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
belotepreads's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
3.5
lumakip's review
3.0
An ok thriller that plays out more like an episode of Black Mirror than being a suspenseful endeavor... the main character is fairly unlikable and the story, while may be slightly more sadly believable than most fiction boilers, it just was passibly ok
emperorcupcake's review
4.0
Sydney is a new fave even if she threw shade at my Red Sox. From page one "I mean I too get nostalgic when an 80s jam starts playing on the radio, but these motherf*ckers really needed to reminisce about owning humans?" I knew this would be a good ride. The thriller element is pretty secondary to the message and the characters, and I'm fine with that. The message is good. The main characters are imperfect and feel real and relatable. And Frito!!
shaqydoo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Classism, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Colonisation, Cursing, Grief, Gun violence, Police brutality, Addiction, Death, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Racism, Violence, Toxic relationship, Genocide, Medical trauma, and Murder