elderwoodreads's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Cursing and Racism
Moderate: Alcohol, Sexual content, Racial slurs, and Bullying
Minor: Body shaming, Classism, Infidelity, Vomit, Pregnancy, Animal death, and Fatphobia
dannythestreet's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Abandonment, Classism, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Racism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Misogyny, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Alcohol, Kidnapping, and Grief
Minor: Cursing, Sexual harassment, Addiction, Police brutality, and Pregnancy
pointlessmoss's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
For real though, I LOVE the writing and the story and the characters. I feel like I was reading about real people, not made-up fictional characters. Emira has my heart. I enjoyed myself the whole time and I felt so satisfied with how everything came together. So glad I picked this book up :)
Part of me wants to recommend this to everyone I know, but the other part of me knows not everyone will get invested in a slice-of-life story with this type of writing. I also want to hear what other people took away from this book! I'm curious to see what other interpretations of the story might be, and what I may have missed!
Graphic: Racial slurs, Cursing, and Racism
Moderate: Classism, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Sexual content
Minor: Homophobia, Misogyny, Animal death, Bullying, Police brutality, Fatphobia, and Stalking
chaoticnostalgia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Racism, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Racial slurs, Sexual content, and Fatphobia
Minor: Police brutality and Pregnancy
taylorsevalia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Racism, Toxic relationship, and Cursing
Moderate: Hate crime, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Fatphobia, Racial slurs, and Body shaming
thatgirlcrystal's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Alcohol, Classism, and Racism
Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Bullying, and Gaslighting
Minor: Cursing, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, and Police brutality
The inciting incident doesn’t go to the point of police brutality but could be triggering how close it could have come to it.greatexpectations77's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Alcohol, Classism, Cursing, and Racism
Moderate: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Police brutality
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
lindseyhall44's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Such a Fun Age follows Emira, a black women, as she is accused of kidnapping the white child she is babysitting. Alix is the mother of the child, and vows to make things right with Emira. What follows is a story of class, race, obsession, and family.
This book handled important conversations very well, which led me to reflect on my own life. Fetishization is a topic often overlooked in literature, but Riley explored its effect on relationships in such an interesting way. Overall, my favorite aspect of the novel is the two contrasting narrators which offer distinctly different experiences surrounding American life.
After checking trigger warnings and age ratings, I would definitely recommend picking up Such a Fun Age as your next read!
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Racism, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, and Classism
Moderate: Fatphobia, Slavery, Body shaming, and Pregnancy
mandi4886's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Alcohol, Cursing, Racism, and Sexism
Moderate: Bullying, Gaslighting, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
Minor: Body shaming, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy
seawarrior's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
While Emira and Alix are opposites, Alix and Kelley are eerily similar to each other. The pair both seemed to think of themselves as Emira's savior in a way, though Emira never asked for their help or wanted it. They both exploit Emira's presence in their lives to bolster their own self-esteem and sense of righteousness, and both do so in ways that insidiously seem loving at first glance, and are only brought to light by understanding the context of their past exploitation of Black people. I was relieved that by the end of the book,
Spoiler
Emira accepted that Alix and Kelley were both right about the worst parts of each other, but that she owed nothing to either of them. Going forward, Emira finds her way by trusting her instincts and the people who love and admire her even when she doesn't serve as a symbol to prove their goodness.Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcohol, Animal death, Cursing, and Pregnancy