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lostcupofstars's review against another edition
1.5
I only finished this book to find out why she did what she did…and barely got answers. It was not worth it.
This is not crime fiction and there is every little actual suspense - this is a poor commentary on race and the ‘justice’ system.
I personally didn’t think the commentary held any relevance. I think if you’re writing race from the perspective of a mixed race person then there needs to be more nuance, because there is also some privilege there around colourism, texturism etc so it’s not quite as straight forward as throwing in a comment that ‘black women look ugly with blonde hair’
This was a painfully slow burn with no actual payoff.
Michelle and her white friend Jessie killed Kerry. Michelle slapped her and choked her and Jessie hit her with a rock. But Jessie got away with it and Michelle didn’t - thus the whole book ends up being about racism within the justice system instead of looking into the actual crime.
There was also some self harm, sexual assault and mental health accusations being thrown around and not developed.
We don’t get answers around what happened to Lucy - that was just used to further the narrative that black (or in this case mixed) people are unfairly treated by the police.
If you want to read a book that properly explores issues around race, colourism and abuse, then I would suggesting picking up The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison.
This is not crime fiction and there is every little actual suspense - this is a poor commentary on race and the ‘justice’ system.
I personally didn’t think the commentary held any relevance. I think if you’re writing race from the perspective of a mixed race person then there needs to be more nuance, because there is also some privilege there around colourism, texturism etc so it’s not quite as straight forward as throwing in a comment that ‘black women look ugly with blonde hair’
This was a painfully slow burn with no actual payoff.
There was also some self harm, sexual assault and mental health accusations being thrown around and not developed.
We don’t get answers around what happened to Lucy - that was just used to further the narrative that black (or in this case mixed) people are unfairly treated by the police.
If you want to read a book that properly explores issues around race, colourism and abuse, then I would suggesting picking up The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison.
rachreads97's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
sbritz's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A very thought provoking read. I found myself full of anxiety reading this. It was long and I did get a bit bored in the middle but continued reading as I really wanted to find out what would happen on the end. I was intrigued with the book but don’t know how to rate it. I loved Otis.
celina31's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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
bookishnatterxo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
steel_city_peach's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-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
4.0
Oh My Goodness
I almost gave up on this book. Early on it seemed a little slow. The storyline seemed scattered with no clear direction at one point. Michelle seemed like a pathetic outcast. My curiosity about her past kept me going. Man, this book took a turn into something so heavy. So scandalous and downright heartbreaking. Michelle’s sad demeanor made so much sense. She had been subjected to so many horrible things. Life kept kicking her back down. When the second death occurred, it seemed like her life was ruined. The plot twist that came when that crime was solved really threw me off. So much was happening in this poor girl’s life. I appreciated getting somewhat of a happy ending in an otherwise dark story. I’m so glad that I pushed through and finished this.
sophafie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- 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
3.0