Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir

265 reviews

tigger89's review

dark 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

4.0

This was a difficult book to rate, because I really liked many parts of this story, but others just rubbed me the wrong way. I'll start with the good. I loved the exploration of the immigrant experience, how it examined the American Dream without romanticizing it and all of the different perspectives on assimilation versus cultural independence. I also liked how the women were centered in the story, shown to hold and obtain power. Khadija was my favorite!

I think my favorite part was getting to know our two lead characters, watching them struggle and make completely believable mistakes in the face of adversity. As much as I want to armchair quarterback their bad decisions, I don't know that I would've done any better at seventeen. All three points of view — Sal, Noor, and Misbah — were equally compelling for me to read, and I appreciated the in-universe explanation at the end for why we were being given the historical chapters alongside the present day.

As for what I wasn't so much a fan of, the modern day romance put me off almost immediately. I wasn't prepared for it from the blurb on the cover, and "best friends to lovers" is a trope I loathe, especially when the romance falls apart and you just ruined a perfectly lovely platonic relationship for nothing. This is very much a me problem, but it's worth mentioning since I can't be the only one.

I was also rubbed the wrong way by how the plot where Sal seeks alternate income to avoid closing the motel was written. I was fine with his initial decision(see: realistic bad decisions), but everything from after that up until the scene in the car with Noor felt like a bad after-school special. It was a little bit too carefully-concocted to demonstrate the consequences of Sal's actions, and didn't ring as true as the rest of the book did. After the scene in the car it felt okay again, but for a while there I was rolling my eyes pretty hard.

I think in the end I'm going to have to go with four stars, because the parts that I liked were incredible. It was just a few glaring things dragging it down for me. I would certainly pick up another book by this author, especially if it didn't have a romance in it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Grief, Islamophobia, Physical abuse, Medical content, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Drug use, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Terminal illness

teacher_proffit1920's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

This book was on my TBR for awhile now. I'm mad at myself for waiting so long to read it. It is beautifully written and the characters, I found myself talking to them. I thought the time hops with the mom would be distracting, but they tied together really well.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Xenophobia, Racism, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Violence, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, and Physical abuse

asilya's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death of parent, Child abuse, Grief, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Islamophobia, Drug use, and Racism

marissasa's review

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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

This book touches on so many things and does them all spectacularly. Life, love, loss, coming of age, trauma, bad choices, addiction, poverty, immigration, healing, faith, friendship, trust, hope, and forgiveness all wrapped in the harsh setting of a small town in the Southern California desert where two Pakistani teens try to find their place in an America Dream that wasn't made for them. The narration switching between Noor, Salahudin, and Misbah was a brilliant writing choice. Each character has such a clear voice and it makes you feel so much more deeply for each of them and their struggles. I loved how mature this YA book was and the way it never downplayed the harm that characters caused even when they were characters you had grown to love and root for. It gave so much weight and realism to the angst and emotions, and much more meaning to the ending and the story's messages of hope and redemption.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Xenophobia, Racism, and Violence

znvisser's review against another edition

emotional tense 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

Oof. This story made me fall in love with Noor, Salahudin and Misbah and I adored their mutual relationships. Juniper - and especially its motel and liquor store - came alive as well, feeling like I was there among them. Tahir has a magnificent way of taking you along and giving you the time to figure out what’s happening so that once she tells you it’s just the last push to breaking your heart. Will be thinking about this for a while.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Islamophobia, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Racism, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Child abuse and Drug abuse

Minor: Deportation and Bullying

claire136's review

adventurous emotional inspiring 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Islamophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, and Sexual assault

lutz_emily's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Racism, Drug use, Alcoholism, Bullying, and Domestic abuse

joanasimao's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Grief

Moderate: Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Drug use

emlela's review

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Terminal illness, Islamophobia, and Sexual assault

swifterel22's review

challenging dark emotional inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Child abuse, Drug use, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Racism and Drug abuse