Reviews with content warning for Suicide attempt - Notes on Her Color

The first thing I noticed about this book is its writing style. It’s musical, captivating. It describes love and music and race and family in ways and in words I just adored. There were so many drop the mic moments and repostable quotes.

Deeper than that is the story of Gabrielle. And to be honest, I’m not the biggest fan. I think Gabrielle is an interesting character, and I’d love to see what happens to her after this book, but the plot of this book didn’t engage me the way I thought it would. And it isn’t because Gabrielle doesn’t change; she does, but her character development didn’t feel satisfying to me for some reason. And no I can’t put into words exactly why.

Also as someone who used to live in Florida, it cracks me up to see how many place names I recognize.

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ladygagita's review against another edition

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5.0

oh my god, holy shit, wow. the magical realism, the vivid writing, the devastation yet also the humor… my god. DOMINIQUE AND NIYALA ❤️❤️❤️

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graceesford's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-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

4.0

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ar_sa's review against another edition

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challenging sad tense 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? Yes

3.25

probably wont read this book ever again but it was aight!

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emilyschabert's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

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bookdragon217's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

"You have to feel out different spaces like they've got blood and bone of their own—and make yourself fit into them like a river."

Notes on Her Color by Jennifer Neal was quite an experience. It's one of those books that crawls under your skin and melts into you from the inside out. It's raw, emotional and dark and at times you want to look away because it feels brutal and you feel guilty for being a witness. Neal's writing is captivating. I loved how she wove the art of music into the story because it felt like a way to freedom for the protagonist, Gabrielle. The premise of being able to change skin color based on emotion and the environment was a unique aspect of the story. Neal tackles the heavy topics of colorism, respectability politics, family history, mother-daughter relationships, emotional abuse, misogyny and mental health in very interesting ways.

The speculative aspects really add flavor to an already layered story. At times I didn't know what I was reading because it was weird but it was beautiful. This is definitely a book for readers who love vibes rather than plot and enjoy being taken on a blind journey full of feelings. I'm still thinking about this one and trying to process it all. I can't say much more except this is one you have to experience for yourself.

Thank you to @catapult and @cocoachapters for the gifted copy and opportunity to review this one.

Content Warnings

carareadsthebooks's review against another edition

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challenging medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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