Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Come & Get It by Kiley Reid

85 reviews

clairebartholomew549's review

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emotional 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

3.0

I'm not sure how to feel about this book. I should probably stop reading reviews before I read books, because I saw a review that said this book had no plot, and maybe it colored my view of this book. Or maybe it didn't, because honestly this book has no plot. It's more accurately described as a character or environment study, and the dorm atmosphere is fascinating to dive into. The tableau is really interesting, and I enjoyed seeing every character's perspective. But I would have liked some insight into Tyler, Jenna, and Casey - I realize it was part of the point to only see them through the other characters' eyes, but it certainly flattened them. And at the end of the book, I was confused what the point was. I found Such a Fun Age really interesting and dynamic, so this one was disappointing to me.

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owenwilsonbaby's review against another edition

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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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rayyann's review

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective sad 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

5.0

I just finished 3 minutes ago and spent some time reading other reviews - most of which confuse me. People didn't like this book? 
I grabbed this book withiut reading what it was about. It had a review on the back by another author I liked and that was good enough for me. I dove in with zero expectations and no clue what it was about. Maybe this helped me stay floating at the story unfolded. Maybe I have an ease of trusting that an author, one with this beautiful writing style and unique ability to portray current vernacular without it sounding forced or painful, has a damn point. Things are going to happen. You will feel a certain way. 
Maybe I related to every character too deeply and this is a unique experience. Maybe not everyone winces when they think of their post secondary experience. Maybe I loved this book because, without meaning to, I had to confront old wounds from my own past. The financially abusive and immature partner, it's complicated. The loneliness. The anxiety. The social confusion. Belonging. Hustling. Worrying. The sexual confusion and longing and daydreaming and forgetting who you are. 

This isn't a book for someone hoping to read a love story. Or a thriller. Or a mystery. This is a story for someone who is interested in people. The weird intricacies of our complex personal stories that tangle us together.
I will say that it hurt me deeply when the book ends with Kennedy accepting that she must have cut herself on purpose. And honestly Fuck Peyton for not saying anything. But these are the uncomfortable moments we have to accept sometimes. I like not loving how a book ended when it forces me to take a deep breath. It means I was invested in the story. It was well written. I had a good time. 

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zombiezami's review against another edition

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emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0


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dfriend12's review against another edition

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

3.0

3⭐️

I wanted to enjoy this book but I’m not sure I liked any of the characters (which does not make for a bad book in my opinion) but if there’s not much moving the plot/not much plot to move… it doesn’t work for me. So sad this one fell flat for me. 

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bellsdixon's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful 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

4.25


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hiddenfallacies's review

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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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d0505's review

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emotional hopeful reflective slow-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

2.0


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bowen23brooke's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective fast-paced
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5


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sakisreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense slow-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

4.0

I absolutely adored ‘Such a Fun Age’ and had high expectations for ‘Come and Get It’. 
Kiley Reid did not miss 👏🏼

Everyone is unmistakably human in this book.
Agatha starts a relationship with Millie when she shouldn’t, Millie is compliant in moments and feels the aftermath acutely, Tyler is just the worst kind of human 😂
I thoroughly loved this though and I felt myself being drawn back to the book often.

I can imagine this becoming a stunning series 😳
4 out of 5 stars for me, thank you ✨

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