serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
If You Come Softly is a YA novel. It features a sweet interracial romance between Ellie and Miah. Both have interesting issues they are dealing with. She has a mother who left the family on more than one occasion, while he’s dealing with having famous parents. As the story opens we know they are no longer together and the bulk of the book is the cute story of their romance, although they do encounter some issues due to her being white (and Jewish) and him being Black. But then. But then there is a single line of ominous foreshadowing and it is clear this book is not going to give them a second chance or a happy ending. I imagine it made quite the splash and was rather groundbreaking when it was first published nearly 25 years ago. What’s sad is that it it still so relevant today.
Graphic: Gun violence, Police brutality, and Racism
iuvmoonie's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
Graphic: Murder, Racism, Hate crime, Gun violence, Police brutality, and Death
leastsquares's review
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Racism and Death
Moderate: Gun violence and Police brutality
sammymilfort's review
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Grief, Gun violence, and Police brutality
Minor: Child death
maple_dove's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Racism, and Grief
Moderate: Gun violence
Divorcegem114's review
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
If You Come Softly is Jacqueline Woodson's take on Romeo and Juliet for the modern day. It follows the young love of 15-year-old Ellie Eisen and Jeremiah Roselind, who meet at their private school in New York. Although they don't come from directly feuding families, they do have to navigate the reality of being Jewish and Black in an interracial relationship in the late 1990s. Woodson does a great job developing the characters. Knowing the source material, I knew it wasn't going to end well, and I think Woodson did a great job leading to the climax without making it feel like it was meant to be a twist. The predictability made it even more tragic.
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Gun violence, Police brutality, and Grief
kelsireads's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Gun violence and Police brutality
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