A review by whatellisreadnext
The Summer that Melted Everything by Tiffany McDaniel

sad slow-paced
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This book was torture to read. This is what happens when an author tries to write about too many things at once. Every single message gets lost. There were pockets of good writing, but for the most part, the emotional exhaustion from reading this overshadowed everything.

My two main issues were:
1) the setting of 1984 to utilise HIV/Aids as a shocking plot point
2) the fact we are told to give empathy to the white supremacists that brutally murder a black child. Again this was utilised as a plot point to shock the reader. 

This book is written by a white woman. It came out 5 years ago, but if it was released now, it would be getting major backlash. It didn't sit right with me, and I recommend you don't read it.

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