Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Come & Get It by Kiley Reid

21 reviews

brynpemery's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective tense 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

Kiley Reid is so good at writing characters that you simultaneously despise and want to root for. Everybody in this makes awful choices! But still, I want the best for them. This book stressed me out a little to read because the cascade of bad decisions was just so much, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. And because I’m wary of this and looked a bit for answers but couldn’t find one, the animal death content warning is:

one character is wracked by guilt over accidentally killing a dog. The incident is described in a flashback and is not gory but if you need to be prepared, it’s in the chapter where Kennedy talks about being the golden girl

. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood

Moderate: Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

madybreadz's review

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment

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

zombiezami's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Racism, Sexual content, Grief, Car accident, and Alcohol

Minor: Bullying, Confinement, Eating disorder, Death of parent, and Cultural appropriation

tenzyfrenzy's review

challenging emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death

Minor: Death of parent

bellsdixon's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death

Moderate: Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Minor: Cursing, Sexual content, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Cultural appropriation, 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

pam_'s review

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I adored this book. Kiley Reid’s writing style and deep dive character studies just really work for me. I did not fully understand where the plot was going for a long time, but I was unbothered because that’s how much I enjoy Kiley Reid’s writing style. I will read anything she writes at this point. A queer main character was an added bonus. I found Millie and Kennedy’s chapters to be the most interesting. This book was also extremely funny (in particular chapter 13). I do think that this book will likely work better for younger adults (20 to 30 ish range) who are closer in age to the protagonists (most of whom are undergraduate students).

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Alcohol

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

meredith_williams_'s review

dark emotional reflective 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

3.75

Kiley Reid is an expert in character study and social dynamics. Her portrayal of seemingly mundane campus life is hauntingly complex and her characters are multifaceted and morally gray. While her second novel, Come and Get It, does have some slower moments in the plot, the overall dynamics between the characters and the way their lives intertwine are very compelling. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, and Classism

Minor: Cancer and Vomit