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A review by thatsoneforthebooks
Your Plantation Prom Is Not Okay by Kelly McWilliams
5.0
✨ Review ✨ Your Plantation Prom Is Not Okay by Kelly McWilliams
Harriet Douglass lives with her historian dad on an old plantation, and they run an enslaved persons museum on the site. When a wealthy mom and her influencer daughter move into the plantation next door, they start to turn the property into an A-list antebellum event site. Harriet's struggling with her grief from the death of her mom, the horrible transformation of the neighboring plantation, and the day-to-day racism she experiences at school. Harriet, along with Layla the nextdoor influencer and her recently returned childhood bestfriend (and resident hottie) to try to change public ideas about the use of plantation land in the 21st century.
I loved that this tackled really serious issues around race and racism, the use of plantations for celebrations and tourism, memory around enslaved peoples, mental health, Black mortality rates and health care issues, the stereotype of angry Black girls, the impact of TikTok and social media, and more. This does not hold back in really digging into these topics, and it's perfect for YA and adult readers alike.
In places this is really hard to read because of the depths of Hariett's anger and the injustices she's facing. There are also parts where this might drag a bit for an adult reader. Overall, however, Hariett's evolution throughout the book with her mental health, her friend and family relationships, and her own self image really provides a powerful read. I really appreciated this book!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: YA with some f/m romance
Setting: Louisiana plantation outside of New Orleans
Pub Date: out now
Read this if you like:
⭕️ YA that tackles serious topics
⭕️ issues of history and memory of plantations and enslaved peoples
⭕️ sweet YA romance + friendships
⭕️ coming-of-age
Thanks to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and #netgalley for an advanced e-copy of this book!
Harriet Douglass lives with her historian dad on an old plantation, and they run an enslaved persons museum on the site. When a wealthy mom and her influencer daughter move into the plantation next door, they start to turn the property into an A-list antebellum event site. Harriet's struggling with her grief from the death of her mom, the horrible transformation of the neighboring plantation, and the day-to-day racism she experiences at school. Harriet, along with Layla the nextdoor influencer and her recently returned childhood bestfriend (and resident hottie) to try to change public ideas about the use of plantation land in the 21st century.
I loved that this tackled really serious issues around race and racism, the use of plantations for celebrations and tourism, memory around enslaved peoples, mental health, Black mortality rates and health care issues, the stereotype of angry Black girls, the impact of TikTok and social media, and more. This does not hold back in really digging into these topics, and it's perfect for YA and adult readers alike.
In places this is really hard to read because of the depths of Hariett's anger and the injustices she's facing. There are also parts where this might drag a bit for an adult reader. Overall, however, Hariett's evolution throughout the book with her mental health, her friend and family relationships, and her own self image really provides a powerful read. I really appreciated this book!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: YA with some f/m romance
Setting: Louisiana plantation outside of New Orleans
Pub Date: out now
Read this if you like:
⭕️ YA that tackles serious topics
⭕️ issues of history and memory of plantations and enslaved peoples
⭕️ sweet YA romance + friendships
⭕️ coming-of-age
Thanks to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and #netgalley for an advanced e-copy of this book!