magmck's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Body shaming, Classism, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Body horror, Murder, Physical abuse, and Violence
fraise's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Murder, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Blood, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Grief, and Medical content
Minor: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Classism, Drug use, and Animal death
particledamage's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The book goes at a break neck pace but only because of its short chapters and time jumps, not because anything meaningful actually happens or changes. You see everything coming; it's easy to see that that may be intentional but ultimately that changes nothing, you still want to just skip ahead to have it confirmed. There is little to be lost if your eyes glaze over waiting for confirmation rather than taking in what little story this book has to offer.
That said, this book is oozing with potential. The sisterly relationship--and sometimes lack thereof--is compelling and I would have loved to seen it explored more with two fully realized characters. The idea of them both ultimately being their sister's keeper is interesting but when the story is so rote, you never see the boundaries of that relationship tested in any meaningful way. The high takes of this story and their relationship feels much like jumping out of a third story window except you're wearing a safety harness and a bungee rope, knowing you'll never hit the ground.
I think if this book committed more to being a short story, I could forgive its shallowness and lack of peak a bit more. But instead this book half-commits to being a full story and loses its steam halfway through, overextending itself with details that don't add much to the moral questions its asking (and sometimes answering).
Still, the premise alone is so refreshing and new I can't resent it for not reaching the highs I wanted it to.
Moderate: Murder, Child abuse, Toxic friendship, Sexism, Physical abuse, and Misogyny
Minor: Blood, Classism, Pedophilia, Violence, Medical content, Death, and Death of parent
vonni's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Murder, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Child abuse, Violence, Blood, Infidelity, and Grief
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny
Minor: Gore, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, and Trafficking
skyeuqx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Violence, Gaslighting, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Classism and Death of parent
taytayc23's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Murder, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Classism
galexy_brain's review
- 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
Moderate: Blood and Murder
Minor: Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Death, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Medical content, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Sexism
nannahnannah's review
3.0
Representation:
characters are Nigerian (as is the author)
When Korede gets an SOS call from her sister one night, she knows it means one thing: this is the third time. The third time her sister has defended herself from yet another boyfriend who has attacked her. The third time her sister has stabbed someone, and Korede has been called in to clean up and dispose of the body. But this time, Korede can’t get the man out of her mind. He’d been stabbed in the back, and she can’t shake the feeling that just maybe … there’s something wrong with her sister.
Things get worse when the man Korede’s in love with at work falls for her sister. They start dating, and Korede’s afraid it’s only a matter of time before she’s cleaning up his body, too. But what should she do … stand by her her sister as she’s always done or betray her for the man she loves?
This book goes by incredibly fast. The pages are very thick, so it doesn’t actually have that many words. Basically, that makes the pace very quick, and there’s not a lot of time for rest or secondary character development (if at all, actually; secondary characters don’t really have roles to be honest). Not necessarily a bad thing, because the book is really all about the few mains.
The plot and the main characters are gripping, and held my attention all the way through. Though small, the book really doesn’t lose momentum at any spot, it just keeps on driving and gaining speed and drama till the end. So while I have some problems with it, there’s no doubt it’s a good story.
What bothered me though was some problems with tone. There was a very obvious disregard/dislike for sanitation workers and janitors. Korede hated literally Every janitor in the novel, and these workers were all, without exception, lazy and pretty much good-for-nothing people. In fact, Korede was unnecessarily judgemental of everyone, and once equated disability = ugliness, which was … not pleasant. There was also some fatphobia as well, because why not? I know some of this was because she also had some internal issues to figure out but … because that never happened, I was left just having to conclude 1). She was just that judgemental, or 2). This is the way the author herself thinks.
Anyway, it wasn’t a bad book, and I enjoyed most of it -- though that ending … it wasn’t very satisfying! It felt like the feeling when you watch one of those “acclaimed Hollywood films” that just leaves you feeling unsettled at the end -- but some “jokes” left me wanting to close the book for a bit just to get that foul taste out of my mouth.
Minor: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Ableism, and Classism
yarelhdi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Blood, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Terminal illness, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Bullying, Classism, Domestic abuse, Grief, Animal death, Murder, Misogyny, and Infidelity
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Addiction, and Pedophilia
amberrenfrey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Terminal illness, Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, Violence, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, and Medical content
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, and Classism
Minor: Sexism, Police brutality, and Drug abuse