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bardo's review against another edition
4.0
Angel is healing from scars she received from love, now she is trying to heal on a different coast. Far from everything she knows and far away from him. Vinyl Moon looks at trauma in all forms a teenager can experience through family, relationships, and peers. Angel needs the change Brooklyn can give her and a fresh perspective to heal and grow. Browne is honest with readers when it comes to healing and how slow the process can be. Infusing different perspectives of what it means to heal, love, and how family can look. even though Angel is the protagonist, and a strong, bold, and dynamic one, she shares the spotlight with the side characters more often than not. Allowing her to be an observer to more experiences than her own. This gives the reader a well-rounded view of tough issues and emotions.
thestarli's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? Yes
4.0
jasbeingjas's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
5.0
Browne has such an incredible talent for telling stories. She takes topics that can be dark and difficult and weaves them with such beautiful prose and suddenly it doesn’t weigh you down to read about it but instead inspires you and makes you hopeful. I would absolutely recommend this book!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Physical abuse
gabibi4's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
erine's review
3.0
3.5
While there is domestic abuse at the heart of this story, the plot mostly swirls around it. Angel moves across the country to live with her uncle due to an unspecified incident at home. Her arm is broken and her face is bruised, but it's not until the very end that the reader gets wind of what happened. In the meantime, we get hints of a controlling boyfriend, a toxic father, and an inconsistent mother. But all that is in the background while Angel gets settled into her new school, figures out a rhythm with her uncle, and meets new friends.
Angel finds her voice in an enlightened and supportive advisory hour at school, she meets new friends, gets book recommendations from an amazing teacher, and dives deep into music.
A hopeful and positive tone persists throughout this story, while not ignoring the difficulties of Angel and her family and friends.
While there is domestic abuse at the heart of this story, the plot mostly swirls around it. Angel moves across the country to live with her uncle due to an unspecified incident at home. Her arm is broken and her face is bruised, but it's not until the very end that the reader gets wind of what happened. In the meantime, we get hints of a controlling boyfriend, a toxic father, and an inconsistent mother. But all that is in the background while Angel gets settled into her new school, figures out a rhythm with her uncle, and meets new friends.
Angel finds her voice in an enlightened and supportive advisory hour at school, she meets new friends, gets book recommendations from an amazing teacher, and dives deep into music.
A hopeful and positive tone persists throughout this story, while not ignoring the difficulties of Angel and her family and friends.
eldritchreader's review
4.0
Vinyl Moon is woven with a gorgeous, flowing writing style and a thoughtful and, eventually, uplifting storyline. It is a story of trauma recovery - the process of healing and the ongoing struggle of surviving. Angel moves to Brooklyn after a life-changing incident. She is broken and protective of her past and her feelings. But as life moves forward, so too must Angel.
This short, but not lacking, contemporary leans into the fierceness of leting people in, respecting and forgiving oneself, finding one's own unique strength and thriving in your own identity. While many reviews comment on the lack of in-depth exploration of the themes leading Angel to this point in her story, it doesn't take away from the story. Because this is a story of the after - of building oneself up in the aftermath of traumatic circumstances and forming an identity outside of it. This was a thoughtful and touching look at young trauma.
Note: Review copy received from Libro.FM. This does not impact opinions within this review.
becandbooks.com ‧ trigger warning database ‧ book depository ‧ ‧ more links
This short, but not lacking, contemporary leans into the fierceness of leting people in, respecting and forgiving oneself, finding one's own unique strength and thriving in your own identity. While many reviews comment on the lack of in-depth exploration of the themes leading Angel to this point in her story, it doesn't take away from the story. Because this is a story of the after - of building oneself up in the aftermath of traumatic circumstances and forming an identity outside of it. This was a thoughtful and touching look at young trauma.
→ trigger warnings:Spoiler
abusive relationships, anxiety and panic attacks, parental neglect, homomisia mentioned, poverty themes, physical assault, teenaged pregnancy
Note: Review copy received from Libro.FM. This does not impact opinions within this review.
becandbooks.com ‧ trigger warning database ‧ book depository ‧ ‧ more links
chinarose's review
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
3.0
bookishrealm's review
4.0
This is the third book that I've read by Mahogany L. Browne and she has yet to disappoint. I'm always amazed at how much she's able to capture in such short novels written in verse. Like in previous titles, Vinyl Moon captures the voices of it's main character and provides a storyline that a lot of young adult readers will appreciate and relate to.
Vinyl Moon is so many things at once. It's a story about a young girl by the name of Angel who has escaped an abusive relationship and ends up as a transplant in Brooklyn, New York. There she is forced to start fresh, confront her trauma, make new friends, and begin the process of forgiving herself and healing. It's also a love letter to Black writers. Name after name of some of the most well-loved Black writers from the past and present including Toni Morrison, Jason Reynolds, Maya Angelou, and more are dropped within the words of this story. Angel finds a passion for reading where she also finds healing. As a person who also finds healing in reading, I definitely found myself resonating with Angel's literary journey. It's also a love letter to Brooklyn; it's food, culture, music, and more. As Angel becomes more acclimated to the city and its cultural diversity, the readers begin to enjoy seeing the city from her lens.
When Angel begins her new school in Brooklyn, she is enrolled in a program called H.E.R where she meets other young women struggling with different things. This program becomes a foundation for Angel to not only make new friends, but also to be open about her struggles in her past relationship. It's a support system that Angel clearly needs. While this book does address the trauma experienced by many young Black girls, it doesn't delve explicitly into all of Angel's experiences on page. I've seen a lot of people criticize this; however, I think that it's the perfect example of how we can acknowledge the trauma of a community without having to bare it for the world to see. It feels less exploitive to some readers and I can see how this could be beneficial. Even without having to witness every single one of Angel's traumatic experiences, the message is still clear. More must be done to protect Black girls and more respect must be given to those (like Ms. G) who are already doing the necessary work to help these girls heal.
Vinyl Moon is written in a unique format as it includes prose and poetry. The combination works well in the context of the story and I definitely appreciated it. There are so many beautiful parts of this novel and I can't wait to see what Browne plans to do in the future. If you haven't had the opportunity to read her yet I highly recommend it.
Vinyl Moon is so many things at once. It's a story about a young girl by the name of Angel who has escaped an abusive relationship and ends up as a transplant in Brooklyn, New York. There she is forced to start fresh, confront her trauma, make new friends, and begin the process of forgiving herself and healing. It's also a love letter to Black writers. Name after name of some of the most well-loved Black writers from the past and present including Toni Morrison, Jason Reynolds, Maya Angelou, and more are dropped within the words of this story. Angel finds a passion for reading where she also finds healing. As a person who also finds healing in reading, I definitely found myself resonating with Angel's literary journey. It's also a love letter to Brooklyn; it's food, culture, music, and more. As Angel becomes more acclimated to the city and its cultural diversity, the readers begin to enjoy seeing the city from her lens.
When Angel begins her new school in Brooklyn, she is enrolled in a program called H.E.R where she meets other young women struggling with different things. This program becomes a foundation for Angel to not only make new friends, but also to be open about her struggles in her past relationship. It's a support system that Angel clearly needs. While this book does address the trauma experienced by many young Black girls, it doesn't delve explicitly into all of Angel's experiences on page. I've seen a lot of people criticize this; however, I think that it's the perfect example of how we can acknowledge the trauma of a community without having to bare it for the world to see. It feels less exploitive to some readers and I can see how this could be beneficial. Even without having to witness every single one of Angel's traumatic experiences, the message is still clear. More must be done to protect Black girls and more respect must be given to those (like Ms. G) who are already doing the necessary work to help these girls heal.
Vinyl Moon is written in a unique format as it includes prose and poetry. The combination works well in the context of the story and I definitely appreciated it. There are so many beautiful parts of this novel and I can't wait to see what Browne plans to do in the future. If you haven't had the opportunity to read her yet I highly recommend it.
jacjac9000's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 rounded down
A really great quick read about reconnecting with yourself, finding your people, and getting in touch with your culture. My biggest complaint is simply that it wasn't longer! I would have loved more background on Angel's life before, and I'm left wanting to know more about where she and her new friends go.
A really great quick read about reconnecting with yourself, finding your people, and getting in touch with your culture. My biggest complaint is simply that it wasn't longer! I would have loved more background on Angel's life before, and I'm left wanting to know more about where she and her new friends go.
bibliozord's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0