Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour

97 reviews

otakatoe3's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

tilder's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.0

Queer and heartwrenching. Got lost in some of the characters sometimes, felt like some of them could have been more fleshed out. Appreciated the ending and sense of closure for both of them. However, I do think that Sara’s trauma was resolved a bit too quickly, the whole reveal felt rushed and I wish we could have had more tension build up or something to complement the beginning of the book in the same way. Great read and look forward to LaCour’s other work!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

wreathedinviolets's review against another edition

emotional medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction and Drug abuse

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, and Death

veronicakirchner's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.25

The most content warnings I’ve ever added for a single book. A deeply troubling, heavy novel with some glimmers of hope; these two women’s stories are interwoven tragically and beautifully. I am devastated and heart broken for the main characters and the pain/traumas they have suffered, yet find solace in the simple pleasure and peace they derive from their love for one another.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, and Grief

Moderate: Child death, Pedophilia, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Minor: Homophobia and Blood

montsett's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment

alliereads_'s review against another edition

emotional

2.0

I really wanted to like this book, knowing how popular it was and that it featured a lesbian romance, but I was let down. The plot takes off way too fast; we have no connection to these characters or understanding of why they make the choices they make. I don't empathize over her mother's death, I don't connect to her love for Annie, I don't understand the significance of Sara's relationship with her father, I don't feel the betrayal by Eugene, I don't get why she left so suddenly, abandoning her brother, to go off with a boy she doesn't know or why she suddenly agreed to prostitute herself to support them. It is the definition of telling, not showing. Unfortunately, this never changes. Yerba Buena feels disjointed; less like a cohesive novel and more like a series of vignettes (some of which are quite enjoyable!). Any progress feels swiftly undone from one chapter to the next. I just was never truly able to care about any of the characters or their relationships as a whole.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death and Drug abuse

lenareads75's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, and Death of parent

thisbriannahope's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Drug use, Pedophilia, Death of parent, and Alcohol

shannahtan's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful fast-paced

4.5

I personally loved this book. I was immediately drawn in and didn’t want to put it down. I read that Emilie’s family is based on Nina LaCour’s dad’s family, which is a fun tidbit. I heard this was LaCour’s first adult novel, and I thought it was wonderful. I loved We Are Not Okay as well.

I could relate to Emilie’s wandering as she was trying out different majors and jobs. Her relationship with her family ebbs and flows. She is forgotten then loved them left. I think both Sara and Emilie are imperfect, and in some ways, that makes them more loveable.

It’s a heart wrenching story with a silver lining at the end. Plus sapphic love. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Pedophilia

Minor: Child death, Death, and Death of parent

ada_rosales's review against another edition

challenging fast-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Grief, and Abandonment