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vicktorea's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-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? Yes
3.0
I think this was Tia Williams’ first book (or at least one of her very earlier works) and it shows - all the ideas were here m, but I didn’t particularly care for the execution or the result.
I’m reading Williams’ backlist after falling absolutely in love with Seven Days in June (like it’s my fav book now) & just eating up The Perfect Find.
(If you’ve read her other works) You can see in this book that Williams has always excelled in writing witty, relatabley Black dialogue, creating passionate and heartfelt characters and drawing attention to the struggle Black people, particularly Black women, face to find (a safe) space for themselves in predominantly white spaces. You can also see how Williams has always been passionate about drawing attention to those who suffer with chronic pain.
I love these elements about this author’s writing and you can see the tremendous growth from this book to The Perfect Find to Seven Days in June.
What didn’t work for me with this book was the instalove; these characters fell in love SO quick. I get that the purpose was to showcase how losing yourself in love can be toxic but I wish the ending had reflected that more. Everything wrapped up and worked out too easily so it didn’t feel like the lesson had sunk in for these characters. I would’ve chosen a more difficult, heartbreaking (and maybe more healthy?) direction for the MMC & FMC.
This is also the first MMC by Williams that I didn’t care for; he was so juvenile and just made stupid choices. But, had I been younger when I read this I probably would’ve ate him up. I can see my younger self loving the MMC, but as a (maybe?) more mature, pushing 30, woman I’ve grown out of this type of hero and now enjoy the type of MMC Williams wrote for Seven Days in June and even The Perfect Find.
Am I comparing this to Seven Days in June too much (and am I tainted) because of my love for it? Most likely. But reading this made me appreciate the fact that Williams has always, genuinely been the author who wrote Seven Days in June (she didn’t just switch directions because of what was popular or hyped); with this book, she was just still growing & on her journey into flourishing into that author - the one she is now.
I’m reading Williams’ backlist after falling absolutely in love with Seven Days in June (like it’s my fav book now) & just eating up The Perfect Find.
(If you’ve read her other works) You can see in this book that Williams has always excelled in writing witty, relatabley Black dialogue, creating passionate and heartfelt characters and drawing attention to the struggle Black people, particularly Black women, face to find (a safe) space for themselves in predominantly white spaces. You can also see how Williams has always been passionate about drawing attention to those who suffer with chronic pain.
I love these elements about this author’s writing and you can see the tremendous growth from this book to The Perfect Find to Seven Days in June.
What didn’t work for me with this book was the instalove; these characters fell in love SO quick. I get that the purpose was to showcase how losing yourself in love can be toxic but I wish the ending had reflected that more. Everything wrapped up and worked out too easily so it didn’t feel like the lesson had sunk in for these characters. I would’ve chosen a more difficult, heartbreaking (and maybe more healthy?) direction for the MMC & FMC.
This is also the first MMC by Williams that I didn’t care for; he was so juvenile and just made stupid choices. But, had I been younger when I read this I probably would’ve ate him up. I can see my younger self loving the MMC, but as a (maybe?) more mature, pushing 30, woman I’ve grown out of this type of hero and now enjoy the type of MMC Williams wrote for Seven Days in June and even The Perfect Find.
Am I comparing this to Seven Days in June too much (and am I tainted) because of my love for it? Most likely. But reading this made me appreciate the fact that Williams has always, genuinely been the author who wrote Seven Days in June (she didn’t just switch directions because of what was popular or hyped); with this book, she was just still growing & on her journey into flourishing into that author - the one she is now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Sexual content
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, and Murder
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Suicide, Death of parent, and Cultural appropriation