cheye13's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Something about this read a little young to me. Maybe it was because we started with one of the characters at 14, maybe because we don't get the full "reveal" of Sara's home life until so late, I'm not quite sure.
And it's not strictly a romance, so it makes sense the story focused more on other elements of both women's journeys, but I didn't feel a connection between them at all. It read as though they were the only queer women in the vicinity (i.e. in the book), so they may as well date.
It was a decent story, and very well written, but I didn't find that it offered anything exceptionally unique.
And it's not strictly a romance, so it makes sense the story focused more on other elements of both women's journeys, but I didn't feel a connection between them at all. It read as though they were the only queer women in the vicinity (i.e. in the book), so they may as well date.
It was a decent story, and very well written, but I didn't find that it offered anything exceptionally unique.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Infidelity
Moderate: Death of parent, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Addiction, and Child death
Minor: Alcohol, Blood, Cancer, and Pedophilia
two underage characters perform sex acts for money mostly off-page; an underage girl seriously considers sex work for a timestoryskein's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
4.75
This is the perfect book to start with a cup of coffee on a Saturday morning and finish with a glass of wine in the evening. Even though Yerba Buena is deeply emotional, the deceptively simple prose draws the reader along. The prose, by the way, is probably my favorite part: a masterclass in sensual efficiency.
Yerba Buena deals with heavy, complicated issues, but the tenderness and vulnerability with which LaCour draws Sara and Emilie makes the book feel almost gentle at times. That's not to say that the trauma isn't dealt with--it is. The reader is left with no doubt the events that have shaped these women, and yet, LaCour balances the harrowing with the ultimately hopeful.
Yerba Buena deals with heavy, complicated issues, but the tenderness and vulnerability with which LaCour draws Sara and Emilie makes the book feel almost gentle at times. That's not to say that the trauma isn't dealt with--it is. The reader is left with no doubt the events that have shaped these women, and yet, LaCour balances the harrowing with the ultimately hopeful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Death of parent, Child death, and Addiction
dreezy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Death and Addiction
Minor: Death of parent and Drug abuse
baguettegay's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
I loved the complexity of both of these main characters and how, in each of their own ways, they knew exactly how to be there for the other even when it was something indicated. Yes, it is a love story but it is also so much more than that. It is platonic love. It is love within your family, against all odds. It is the love of the people you grew up alongside. It is everything.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Addiction, Sexual content, and Mental illness
dfbballinger's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Drug use
Moderate: Biphobia, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Addiction, Death, Violence, and Toxic relationship
your_true_shelf's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Child death, Addiction, Sexual assault, Abandonment, and Drug abuse
dmpersaud's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, and Addiction
queenfury's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Drug abuse, Addiction, and Death
booksandbesitos's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.25
Nina Lacour is my favorite author and I had really high expectations for this. I loved the storytelling and the dual points of view. It took me a long time to get through it because the content is pretty heavy, especially for Sarah’s story. The ending was a little surprising, not bad just not what I was expecting. But I think that in this book it’s more closure than endings. Overall I really liked it, I think I’ll definitely reread it in one go now that I got through it the first time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Addiction, Abandonment, Alcohol, Drug use, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Sexual content
Moderate: Blood
mapaulaortuno's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Addiction, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Grief