ryanbada'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
4.5
Graphic: Grief, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Sexism, Rape, Sexual harassment, Pedophilia, Death, Drug use, Slavery, Sexual content, Addiction, and Death of parent
Moderate: Infidelity and Pregnancy
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Miscarriage
asiyam's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Racism, and Drug use
rustynailsfullset'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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Drug abuse, Slavery, Racism, Grief, Rape, Addiction, Child abuse, Death, and Incest
Moderate: Classism, Death of parent, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, Torture, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Genocide, Gaslighting, and Physical abuse
3littlewordz's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Classism, Abortion, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Death, Genocide, Incest, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Grief, Hate crime, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Trafficking, Violence, and Slavery
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Child death, Cursing, Drug use, Gaslighting, and Pregnancy
rosierosereads'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
4.0
Graphic: Sexual violence, Slavery, Child abuse, Drug use, Rape, and Drug abuse
jennifyr's review
- 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
4.5
There were a lot of tough scenes in this book relating to rape, child rape, drug use and abuse, overdosing, slavery, murder, racism, colorism, and more.
I found the history and family tree very interesting, especially the interracial couplings (some consensual, some not). I thought the author did a great job weaving all the stories together while centering on a family drama.
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Racism, Sexual violence, Violence, Drug use, and Slavery
satashii'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? No
3.5
So why such a low rating?
Because this is a book that, imo, needed an editor to make it a tighter story. There’s a good 200 pages of this book that make the story drag on and on. If I hadn’t already hit the halfway point when it really started to slow it’s momentum I’d probably would have DNF’d it but I slogged ahead determined to finish.
Was the end worth it? Yes. Did I think the main character Ailey had an effective character arc? Somewhat.
Spoiler
I really struggled with Ailey being the spoiled younger daughter that wasn’t really growing up/maturing. While I was sympathetic to Lydia’s death and how devastating it was for her, she could be a selfish brat for the middle third of this book that was not endearing her to me. Her relationships with men and how toxic they were I felt distracted a lot from the other parts of the narrative and the back and forth between present and past didn’t always feel like it was integrating well. Tbh I would have probably been more interested in seeing Coco’s viewpoint rather than Lydia’s drug spiral. In the end, I wasn’t wholly satisfied by Ailey’s relationship choices other than I did like that she seemed to be ending up with David at the end.So subtracting one star for the need for editing and another half star for what felt like, to me, like gratuitous lingering on sex scenes that weren’t really driving the narrative further and felt distracting.
Overall, I’d recommend it as a read if you haven’t read Toni Morrison’s work or Octavia Butler’s Kindred… but I’d probably recommend them over this book.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Drug use, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Slavery, Racial slurs, Rape, Drug abuse, Racism, Grief, Addiction, Body shaming, Body horror, and Child abuse
lauravreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This is hands down the best book I have ever read! I know there is already hype for this book but it honestly deserves more. I was left in awe when I finished. This book has some favorite such as tropes multiple timelines and multigenerational family narrations. It is so well written with easy to love characters. I felt so deeply while reading it was hard not to with the writing and depth in it.
I literally have nothing bad to say. It was a perfect 5⭐️ for me.
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Violence, Incest, Racial slurs, Rape, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Slavery, Genocide, Grief, Pedophilia, Child abuse, and Death
deereadingwallflower's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Colonisation, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Drug use, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Violence, Abortion, Addiction, Child abuse, Grief, Rape, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, and Slavery
malexandriay'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Classism, Addiction, Colonisation, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Incest, Drug abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Alcohol, Blood, Grief, and Physical abuse