leasummer's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars - please seek out reviews by voices similar to the author.
This is very YA fiction. There’s a lot of things that I realized at the end didn’t get fleshed out. Was there a romance? Was it mystical? Or was it a story about a girl making waves at school, dealing with a parental illness and going to Haiti for the first time? Maybe all of that. It’s a fun adventure. The epistolary style is one I love. The tweets and some of the format of things were probably better set up for print readers. It’s a very right now book, a lot of slang and technology references. An enjoyable adventure with a girl in Haiti.
This is very YA fiction. There’s a lot of things that I realized at the end didn’t get fleshed out. Was there a romance? Was it mystical? Or was it a story about a girl making waves at school, dealing with a parental illness and going to Haiti for the first time? Maybe all of that. It’s a fun adventure. The epistolary style is one I love. The tweets and some of the format of things were probably better set up for print readers. It’s a very right now book, a lot of slang and technology references. An enjoyable adventure with a girl in Haiti.
jpetzbach's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
4.0
doctabird's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
I love the setting and the descriptions. I often couldn't stand the main character.
I love the setting and the descriptions. I often couldn't stand the main character.
maria_elmers_1's review against another edition
1.0
Dnf’d because I didn’t care for the characters and the plot was so messed up
nerdydreamer107's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
ohkaykayreads's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
I enjoyed this novel. It was fun, witty, enlightening and emotional at times. I personally related to one of the main topics in the story and so, some of the passages concerning that topic really had me in my feelings. Really good read.
rowilliams's review against another edition
5.0
I picked up this book for a couple of reasons , first I wanted to read more books written by black authors , I liked the cover , and I had recently gotten into the history of Haiti and Haitian folk music . I am so glad I picked up this book! I really enjoyed Alaine as a character and seeing the development and growth she goes through . I also learned more about a country that is often portrayed in one way in society from a different perspective. The book was easy to read and I liked the writing style , I could not tell that there were two authors and I enjoyed the post cards, diary entries and notes . I plan on reading the sister other book“ One of the good ones “ in the near future and will be recommending this book to friends and family! :)
jensbookden's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
jenmat1197's review against another edition
4.0
This is the story of Alaine and her family. Alaine lives a comfortable life in the United States with her father. Her parents are divorced, and her mom is a famous journalist that travels the world. Her parent's roots are from Haiti and Alaine has quite a bit of family still living there. When an incident happens with her mother and Alaine, she is forced to go to Haiti for a school project. She spends several months with her mom and her mom's family in Haiti trying to retrace the roots of a known family curse. Alaine's mom is not a believer in the curse, but her mom's twin sister is deeply invested in getting the curse broken. As Alaine works to break a family curse, she gets a chance to know her mother, her family (and secrets they have kept) and Haiti.
This was a good book. It was a fast read, even thought it was over 400 pages. It is well written and the characters are likable. I think it flowed pretty well, and even though it is a work of fiction, I did learn a good bit about Haiti. The protagonist, Alaine, is a teenager, so this book teeters between a YA and adult fiction, and I think is enjoyable for either demographic. I could see my almost 17 year old daughter identifying with Alaine and enjoying her hunt to break her family's curse.
This was a good book. It was a fast read, even thought it was over 400 pages. It is well written and the characters are likable. I think it flowed pretty well, and even though it is a work of fiction, I did learn a good bit about Haiti. The protagonist, Alaine, is a teenager, so this book teeters between a YA and adult fiction, and I think is enjoyable for either demographic. I could see my almost 17 year old daughter identifying with Alaine and enjoying her hunt to break her family's curse.