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delainey5's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
HE WAS JUST A KID
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Self harm
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Medical content, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
mecmccann's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Seven Days in June is a story about Black love. It was poignant, humorous, and hot all at the same time. In this book, we follow Eva, an erotica writer, who is summoned to speak as a panelist at a book event where she unexpectedly runs into her high school fling? boyfriend? situationship? Shane, from fifteen years ago. As she rediscovers what actually happened between them all those years ago, recognizes that they've actually been writing about and to one another for all these years through their books, learns about the man he has become, and about her family's historical curse, she learns about who she is and how everything fits together.
This book did exactly what it needed to do. Each character was fully fleshed out and individualized. In Eva and Shane's partnership, they became the best versions of themselves for and through each other, without sacrificing their core values. Seven Days in June was indeed a romance, but it was so much bigger than just-another-fluffy-romcom (and I love me a fluffy romcom). In this book we explored the effects of chronic pain, substance abuse, domestic abuse and negligence, trauma, and racism on relationships.
Rumaan Alam got it right when he said, "The result isn't escapism (though the book is a delight) but a vision of life as it truly is: complications and difficulties punctuated by profound joy."
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Self harm
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
mcosmic's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction and Self harm
Moderate: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Death, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
velorum's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
There’s a ton of Internet jargon and pop culture references and slang, there’s generational trauma among a slew of trigger warnings and love and family and culture. There was so MUCH (please heed the trigger warnings) and yet so much silliness and lightness that framed this story. Maybe that speaks to the author’s point of how life can be jarring and full and sad.
I prefer my epilogues to be ADDITIONAL to the story. Here, the epilogue was doing all the work to wrap up loose ends.
This story between Shane and Eva (Genevieve) is melancholy and a rapid, all-consuming love story. It burns and burns out. Their second-chance encounter makes you want to know what the hell happed that week in June 15 years ago, and it all unravels as the story moves on.
On second note, the last three chapters (epilogue included) were just a RUSH of plot and character development, and not in a good way…
TBC…
Graphic: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
rickireadss's review against another edition
3.0
⚠️: self harm, drug abuse, alcoholism, drug use, addiction, chronic illness, suicidal thoughts, mental illness, suicidal attempt, abandonment, gun violence, death, grief, injury/injury detail, child abuse, child death, violence, sexual assault, toxic relationship, blood, sexual harassment, emotional abuse, racism, medical content, car accident, medical trauma, death of parent, domestic abuse, physical abuse, bullying, panic attacks/disorders, murder, forced institutionalization, pedophilia, vomit, ableism, sexism, adult/minor relationship
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, and Murder
celery09's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
antidietleah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Self harm, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Vomit
booksalacarte's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Contemporary romance
Second chance romance
Flashbacks
Silent disability rep
Witty banter
Generational curses
Flawed MC’s
Messy love
Great side characters
This was such an interesting, non-typical romance story. Very Romeo & Juliet- if they hadn’t died and instead met up 15 years later. I really liked the idea.
The MC’s were so interestingly flawed. I liked each of them individually. Eva was holding her own as a mom, a writer who was afraid of being in a rut and wanting to branch out.. all while keeping a silent disability a secret. Shane was perusing what he needed to solidify his place in sobriety. Recognizing his downfalls, slip ups and looking at them head on.
I found the magnetic inevitability of the romantic tension to be SO well done. The MC’s chemistry was on another level.
The side characters were fun, but the POV shifting to them would have been better if there had been MORE… or none at all. It was disorienting to have a chapter or less in a non-MC POV, then never have them revisited. And to have one of them be a catalyst in the miscommunication where a text message would have alleviated the situation completely… and then completely done away with in such a way. It felt trite.
There were a LOT of pop culture references. Not my favorite to have to read. I always worry about it putting a very specific time stamp on literature.
With black writers as MC’s, the discussion around black excellence and a celebration of black culture was very prominent throughout the book. And it was fun having it openly talked about and pointed out in a writer pannel between black authors.
Overall, I did love this book.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol
reading_sweetpea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Medical content
fleur____'s review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Medical content, Grief, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail