Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Come & Get It by Kiley Reid

6 reviews

owenwilsonbaby's review against another edition

dark funny informative reflective medium-paced

• 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

3.75

‘It was very easy to have sex in college, but it was even easier not to.’

I liked this! It turns out all I need to read again was pneumonia and being relatively bed-ridden. I think Reid’s writing is brilliant and I loved the characters. I had some trouble with the pacing and plot (it all felt like it happened in the last 80 pages or so), but still a really good read. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

hiddenfallacies's review

challenging emotional funny reflective 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? Yes

5.0

This novel is hard to describe. Even harder to sell to other people as a recommendation when all you can think to say is "it's really good." So I'll try my best to do so here. 

Come and Get It follows three perspectives over the course of an undergraduate fall semester, with glimpses into the past added as necessary to explain how they got into their current situation. Agatha, a mid-30s journalist working a year of residency at the University of Arkansas. Millie, a super senior RA looking to finish her degree, land a job, and buy a house. And Kennedy, a junior looking for a fresh start as a transfer student. As the innocuous moments of their lives intertwine, a descent towards their ruin begins. Its arrival is sudden and swift, the kind of downfall that makes all too much sense in hindsight. 

The greatest strength of this narrative lies in these characters, who are written so realistically that they feel as if they walked out of your life rather than the mind of Reid. Crafting this kind of realism is supremely difficult, so the fact that even minute dialogue and quirks feel true-to-life is an accomplishment. This makes you, as the reader, feel as if you've truly participated in the scene rather than acted as an observer. 

Rather than construct the plot around traditional forms of conflict, Come and Get It is propelled forward through the interpersonal lives of its characters. At no point does it feel like a scene is wasted, even if it only serves to capture simple moments of life such as dorm conversations or a trip to Target. Although this structure might not work for everyone, I found it a natural extension of its focus on the inner lives and decisions of its main characters.

Themes of class, race, sexuality, and gender are all on display within this novel, engaged with in the same way you'd talk about the subjects with friends - without formality and with a certain level of disdain towards the world. What it has to say is layered and worth discussing. 

If none of this interests you, I urge you to at least give the first chapter or two a go. The writing pulled me in before I realized it - it might do the same for you. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Body shaming, Cancer, Cursing, Self harm, Medical content, and Religious bigotry

Professor/Student Relationship

adearajean's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

• 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

3.0

Quick read with intriguing characters but as someone who works on a college campus this book made me anxious. The characters are not likable and make terrible professional choices. It's hard to root for anyone in this book. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Self harm and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Infidelity, Mental illness, Alcohol, and Classism

fkshg8465's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

That people are awful! Makes me glad to be living in Texas (gone acknowledging these people have no bearing on the real people of Arkansas). I hated every minute of every person in the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

taylormoore's review

challenging dark funny tense 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Infidelity, and Blood

Moderate: Drug use, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

sydapel's review

funny lighthearted tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I think Kiley Reid's writing and characters are extremely sharp and insightful, and I enjoyed reading this. However, I agree with other reviewers that there are too many characters in this for the message to come across really clearly. While the interrogation of financial privilege on college campuses is really compelling and something I haven't seen discussed in fiction too much, I think this misses in taking an almost satirical direction with some of it's characters and plot points.  This really creates an ending that feels almost confused and incomplete, which is a shame. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship

Moderate: Chronic illness, Infidelity, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, and Car accident