kittykornerlibrarian's review
4.0
I think this would have a lot of YA crossover appeal... Full disclosure: I am so boring I won't even wear nail polish. So I admit I don't get it about tattoos. This is set in Long Island in 1985-86, and the main character is the socially-awkward Gina, who loves to draw more than anything and wants to join her elder brother in his tattoo business. Gina has just graduated from high school and turned eighteen, and is discovering that the world of tattooing is very, very male and very, very unwelcome to aspiring women tattoo artists. Gina meets new people, falls in love, and works tirelessly to come up with ways to follow her tattooing dreams. In spite of not getting it about tattoos, I enjoyed this a lot.
swestlake's review
emotional
hopeful
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
bookishnatalia's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.5
scottcod's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
vballerin's review
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
3.5
lhhrmn's review
3.0
3.5 stars, rounded down bc while I'm a sucker for a good, satisfying ending, I felt like the story and the characters were lacking. Overall, a solid 3.
Spoiler
I'm not sure why Gina's character was so socially awkward and misspoke so often - it sort of took away from the believability of the plot arc -- which sounds odd to type out, like she needs to be whip-smart to be successful, which isn't true, but I just couldn't really gather why her flaws were pointed out the way they were, like how she'd frequently use an incorrect word, someone would correct her, end of scene. I don't need a book where everyone's perfect, but I want to root for the characters and both Stella and Dominic's unhealthy coping mechanisms and poor decisions made me feel bad for Gina, vs being able to root for her for her own goodness. I wasn't expecting Nicolas to be the creep he was either, so I felt like I was hoping for a happy ending, but honestly unclear what that would look like with this band of characters. I appreciated Rick's hidden note for what Gina could be, but it just seemed so far-fetched based on the plot of the majority of the book.. I feel like it would've been nice to see Gina get closer to that since it seemed the sweet spot of her goals.bluemoons's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
3.5
anne_11_k's review
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
saralynnburnett's review
5.0
Such a charming read! It's a coming of age set in the 1980s on Long Island which was a super fun vibe - loved all the news and other 80s references. Local girl Gina wants to follow in her older brother's footsteps and become a tattoo artist - but it's a pretty unheard of profession for women at this time, she's going through some serious family stuff with her mother, and also starting to fall in love with newcomer to the neighborhood Anna. I adored the brother/sister relationship in here between Gina and Dominic, and was definitely rooting for them both the whole time.
A sweet read with tons of heart - shocked I haven't seen more of this book floating around - it's super underrated!
A sweet read with tons of heart - shocked I haven't seen more of this book floating around - it's super underrated!