The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
gellyreads'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
Graphic: Homophobia, Colonisation, Drug use, Murder, Police brutality, Drug abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual violence, Kidnapping, and Trafficking
kalmia31's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Police brutality, Classism, Genocide, Grief, Colonisation, and Death
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Violence, Homophobia, Racism, Murder, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Misogyny
Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Bullying, Sexual assault, and Alcohol
narbine's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Police brutality, Xenophobia, Death, Trafficking, Sexual violence, Colonisation, Grief, Addiction, Animal death, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexism, Body shaming, Homophobia, Racism, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Violence, and War
jesthemess's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Violence, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Racism, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Minor: Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Lesbophobia, and Homophobia
itssthestars's review
- 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
i dont often get to read about my actual culture as a fil-am kid, so this was an amazingly intimate read for me. this book represents a real filipino family, and i am so glad to be a witness of it. the mood and atmosphere was captured beautifully, and ill definitely be looking into ribay's other books.
Graphic: Police brutality, Death, and Animal death
Moderate: Addiction, Murder, Police brutality, Drug abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Homophobia, Trafficking, and Rape
vcords_'s review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Cursing, Gaslighting, and Death
Moderate: Racism, Drug use, and Classism
Minor: Animal death, Trafficking, Homophobia, Body horror, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
mandkips's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death, Police brutality, and Drug use
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Racism
Minor: Homophobia, Trafficking, and Sexual violence
sammiesshelf'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? It's complicated
4.25
This story follows Jay, a half Filipino teen who was born in the Philippines but raised in America. He finds out that his cousin, Jun, who he used to be pen pals with, has died at the age of seventeen under mysterious circumstances that the family doesn't want to talk about, and so he asks to spend his spring break in the Philippines to get to the bottom of what is going on.
Patron Saints of Nothing is a beautiful story that not only criticizes the drug war started by Rodrigo Duterte but also details what it is like to be an outsider in a country and a family that is supposedly your own. Jay is repeatedly criticized for his lack of knowledge of his birth country and Tagalog, and it is quite hard for him to reconnect with the family he hasn't seen in eight years. It is also hard for him to reconcile his Americanized reality with the reality in the Philippines. Seeing this already tense situation unfold on top of the fact of his family's refusal to acknowledge his cousin's death, the tension is palpable.
The writing in this book is also beautiful. There is an abundance of lyrical quotes that make you feel transported into the mind of Jay and depict his emotions in a way that no other words could.Â
Overall, this was a beautiful novel about what makes a person good and asks if there is any real justification for murder. With morally grey characters, it makes for a complex and riveting story.
Graphic: Murder, Police brutality, and Death
Moderate: Addiction, Blood, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Gun violence
Minor: Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Trafficking
azyef'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
4.5
Graphic: Police brutality, Murder, Colonisation, and Grief
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Classism, Drug use, Death, Trafficking, and Abandonment
Minor: Infidelity, Homophobia, and Sexual violence
isadreamsof's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Police brutality and Animal death
Moderate: Addiction and Trafficking
Minor: Sexism and Homophobia
The first scene starts with the death of a newborn puppy being described in detail. It was a non-violent death, but if it makes you uncomfortable, I don't think it would hurt to skip it.