Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed

17 reviews

achay91's review against another edition

emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Hate crime, Police brutality, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, Cursing, Alcohol, Bullying, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Classism, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Drug use, Grief, Death, and Death of parent

Minor: Suicide, Lesbophobia, Sexual content, and Fire/Fire injury

ktdakotareads's review

dark informative medium-paced

• 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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Police brutality, Racial slurs, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Drug use, Violence, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, and Death

Minor: Eating disorder, Self harm, Suicide, and Child abuse

gellyreads's review against another edition

emotional sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Sexual content, Bullying, Toxic friendship, Racial slurs, Violence, and Racism

Moderate: Death, Slavery, Cursing, and Drug use

emmasiporatyler's review against another edition

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

3.5

This author has a strong, clear voice - pretty + at times poetic style. The plot felt very understated and gentle, which is why I think I didn’t find myself reaching for it super often. But overall, I enjoyed it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Racism

Moderate: Police brutality

Minor: Toxic friendship

hayleythegoose's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

• 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Gun violence, Toxic friendship, Sexism, Police brutality, Hate crime, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Fatphobia, Homophobia, Physical abuse, War, and Grief

Minor: Suicide attempt, Slavery, and Drug use

chloez's review

challenging emotional hopeful sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime

Minor: Police brutality, Physical abuse, Homophobia, Hate crime, Bullying, Classism, Violence, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Racial slurs, Grief, Slavery, and Racism

evieolive's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

5.0

Just as important as I expected but I was really happily surprised to see such flowery writing in a contemporary, I loved the style! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Infidelity, Racism, Toxic friendship, and Police brutality

Moderate: Homophobia, Violence, Genocide, Death, Confinement, Physical abuse, Suicide, and Gun violence

Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, Antisemitism, Slavery, Body shaming, Mental illness, Grief, Drug abuse, Murder, Cultural appropriation, and Classism

kyrstin_p1989's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense 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? No

4.0

This book focuses on a part of history that no other book I’ve read has — the Rodney King trials and subsequent uprising in LA in the 90’s. It follows a Black teenaged girl who lives a financially privileged life. She and her all white friends go to a fancy private school that’s only 10 miles away from the heart of the unrest that follows the not guilty verdict in the King police brutality case. The main character, Ashley, learns about her family, history, and what it means to be Black in America from her sister, her uncle and cousin, and the few other Black students who go to her school. A coming of age story that incorporates what it must be like to be young and Black in America — across the span of history. The book, while set in the 90’s, has parallels that teenagers today can draw from to understand the world around them. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Hate crime, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Violence, Genocide, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide attempt, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Death, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders

ashleysbookthoughts's review against another edition

challenging hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

The Black Kids reminded me of The Hate U Give. It similarly follows a Black high school senior at a fancy, predominantly white, private school during a period of racial unrest. In this one, we follow Ashley throughout the LA Riots following the acquittal of the cops who beat Rodney King in 1992.

Unlike Starr in THUG, Ashley is from an affluent family. She does less overt code-switching and more trying to figure out her identity. The novel really follows Ashley’s journey from othering the other Black kids at her school and finding common ground, culture, and acceptance with them. It also follows her journey from being the token Black girl in white spaces, always careful not to be “too Black” to feeling more comfortable in her skin and making decisions about what’s really important. 

The book does a great job of capturing the uncertainty and identity conflict of adolescence while also making sharp criticisms of structural racism, microaggressions, and American society in general, without feeling preachy. It was slow in some parts, and got a little in the weeds with some details, but overall it was a great read. I definitely recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Toxic friendship, and Infidelity

_fallinglight_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Classism, Death of parent, Drug use, Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, and Suicide attempt