Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'

Somebody That I Used to Know by Dana L. Davis

1 review

roshanreads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

 
Thank you to NetGalley and Skyscape for the eARC! This review will contain some spoilers. 

When I saw Dana L. Davis had written a new book, I was super excited. I read Roman and Jewel earlier this year and I knew that a new novel from the same author would be a great read. I was right, and I ended up enjoying Somebody That I Used to Know even more than Roman and Jewel. This book was always going to get a high rating, and I ended up giving it five stars. 

Dylan was great as a main character. I spent the entire book wanting her to succeed so much that I started getting mad at any characters that hurt her. I was rooting for her the entire time. Dylan going from trying to fit in with her adoptive white family by changing her hair and eye colour to learning how to style her natural hair and wearing clear contacts again was really nice. Seeing her learn to love herself and her appearance, find her place in the world, and realise the impact she had on other people was so heart-warming. I think the inclusion of a younger Black girl that Dylan saw was influenced by her was so important for her character and her arc, and I’m glad that Dana L. Davis added the mentor plotline. 

I was also really happy that Dylan set boundaries with Legendary. She considered everything that would come with a relationship with him, the problems that they had already faced, and made the decision that was best for her. 

Something that I really like in books is when a character takes a break from something they’ve been dedicating most of their time to, and still be just as good as they were before when they return to it. In this case, Dylan takes a break from playing the violin in the lead-up to her Julliard audition and spends a long time worrying if she’ll lose her skills. Fortunately, Dylan is as good at the violin as everyone tells her, even if she doubts herself.


Despite a couple of references to Jeffree Star and Elon Musk that didn’t age super well, none of the pop culture references really got on my nerves like other books. There is also a Zoolander reference that managed to be up to date, even though the book would have been written last year or earlier, which is impressive.

I don’t have a lot more to say about this book because I don’t want to spoil too much, and I think it’s a book that people should experience for themselves. This book is definitely one I will be rereading, and it’s earned it’s place on my list of comfort books. Now that it’s out, I’ll be recommending it a bunch because I adore this book. 

Additionally, if Abigail was a real person, it would be on sight. What do you mean ‘racism’? You’re white and not as good at violin as you think it is, get a grip. That’s all I have to say about her, she got on every single one of my nerves. 

 
All in all, this book is amazing. I read most of it in one day and had a great time watching Dylan grow as a character, become more confident in her violin talents, and decide what she wants from her relationships with the people around her. If you’re looking for a YA contemporary novel that talks about expectations about yourself and others, appearance and fitting in, and the pressure to achieve at a high level like Julliard, Somebody That I Used to Know is the book for you. 

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