Reviews

Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead

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gigireadswithkiki's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

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? It's complicated

2.75

This book started off very strong, I loved the early beginnings of Johnny's story as a Two-Spirit character making their way around off the reservation through sex work, and the path that led them there. However, the story started to lose its traction around the middle; the sex scenes felt overly repetitive, added in for shock-factor instead of providing substance, lending to a crassness that didn't contribute much to the story. The book had a lot of potential, and I did really enjoy Johnny's narrative/story but the middle fell too flat for me to become reinvested into its conclusion.

reneereads's review

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dark sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

rynflynn12's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

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

4.25

sadie26w's review

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative

4.0

scrow1022's review

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5.0

The back cover has the phrase "sacred and sexual", and that is it in a nutshell for me, why it pulls so strong. Then is tender, and loving, and funny. And the language is luscious. Would have happily kept reading.

kaileehaong's review

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emotional reflective medium-paced

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

An excellent read that I couldn’t put down. We follow Jonny, a 2S Cree, through his journey of queerness, loss, addiction, and grief. Intertwining integral past situations and relationships with his present day struggles/needs, we get to see the full picture of who Jonny is, and who and what made him.