lpdx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Cultural appropriation and Racism
Moderate: Classism, Racial slurs, and Bullying
Minor: Body shaming and Vomit
greenglass67's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Hate crime, and Racism
Moderate: Body shaming, Vomit, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal death and Cursing
1yn23's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Racial slurs
Moderate: Police brutality and Vomit
In the very first chapter, there's a pretty descriptive scene of a non physically violent interaction of a security officer and the main character, Emira. He never touches her, and she is not arrested but he is holding her in a grocery store for no reason and it is described vividly. In a date scene, there's an explanation of a racist event in a white man's past where someone says the n word, hard r. The white man,Spoiler
Kelly,Spoiler
a white teenager calling the cops on teenagers of colorSpoiler
ThanksgivingSpoiler
Breyerantimony's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
agh that was a bad summary and i lifted a lot from the jacket but whatever. im trying to put summaries in as many reviews as possible to make myself better at describing what im reading when people ask.
anyway this is not my typical genre, but i found it in a little free library and picked it up bc id considered reading it a couple years ago. i didn't go in with the highest of expectations — not to say i thought it would be a bad book, just that i thought i might not like it because genre — but i actually enjoyed it a lot! the writing was really good, and i flew through the whole book in just a couple hours this afternoon. the characters don't feel flat in any way — even when alix or kelley are being horrendously unlikeable, you sympathize a bit just by virtue of being in their head (alix) or on their side (kelley) (well actually that is not true. i did not like kelley. but he felt real!) i liked the last couple chapters a lot (
Spoiler
i was really worried that alix wouldn't face any consequences and i was ready to be mad about itSpoiler
things worked out for emiraSpoiler
emira had been able to give her a better goodbye or like say hi when she saw her trick or treating or somethingGraphic: Racism
Moderate: Racial slurs
Minor: Vomit
pointlessmoss's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
For real though, I LOVE the writing and the story and the characters. I feel like I was reading about real people, not made-up fictional characters. Emira has my heart. I enjoyed myself the whole time and I felt so satisfied with how everything came together. So glad I picked this book up :)
Part of me wants to recommend this to everyone I know, but the other part of me knows not everyone will get invested in a slice-of-life story with this type of writing. I also want to hear what other people took away from this book! I'm curious to see what other interpretations of the story might be, and what I may have missed!
Graphic: Racial slurs, Cursing, and Racism
Moderate: Classism, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Sexual content
Minor: Homophobia, Misogyny, Animal death, Bullying, Police brutality, Fatphobia, and Stalking
agnesg's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Vomit
lynxpardinus's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Racism, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Kidnapping, Sexual content, Vomit, Slavery, Alcohol, Animal death, Police brutality, and Classism
Minor: Animal cruelty
freyjakemp's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Minor: Racial slurs and Vomit
ciwanski's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I guess I was expecting a similar character relationship as in Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, but very intrigued by what this book turned out to be.
I think this book was a genius showcase of white fragility, white “allies”, white wokeness, and the troubles behind intention vs perception. There were so many other themes and messages within this book that’d I’d need to write a paper on it to do it justice haha. Overall, just a very expertly crafted novel that had me audibly laughing, gasping, and crying out.
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Death of parent and Alcohol
Minor: Eating disorder and Vomit
nenya's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Classism, Police brutality, and Racism
Moderate: Gaslighting, Cursing, Sexual content, and Vomit