Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

12 reviews

underwaterlauren's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Cursing, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Mental illness, Death of parent, and Drug use

anniepatt's review

emotional reflective

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

Beautifully written, heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. The first character we’re introduced to was Melody, born the same year I was. I hadn’t realized how much that would make me invested in the story…the stories through time. 

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Drug use, Child death, Death of parent, Hate crime, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Homophobia, Cancer, Murder, Pregnancy, and Racial slurs

bev3203's review

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use and Sexual content

Minor: Death and Cancer

heatherinthenether's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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? No

4.0

This book is a beautifully written telling of complicated lives. It feels so real and immediate, and read  like a poem. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Death of parent, Cursing, Pregnancy, Grief, Cancer, Sexual content, and Death

Minor: Homophobia, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Abortion, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Grief, Addiction, Alcohol, Cancer, Colonisation, Drug use, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Racism, and Sexual content

books4bee's review

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Classism, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Infertility, Death of parent, Abandonment, Chronic illness, Cancer, Drug use, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Death, and Cursing

kimveach's review

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

What a beautiful story and it's told in such an interesting way. It's multiple narrators and part of the fun for me was figuring out who was speaking at the start of each chapter. It's also not linear. I enjoyed that but realize it's not for everyone.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Sexual content, Cancer, Cursing, Death of parent, Grief, Drug use, Medical content, Racism, Religious bigotry, Terminal illness, and Pregnancy

jmcampbell57's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Death and Abandonment

Minor: Drug use

plantybooklover's review

emotional reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

There was a lot of good in this book, but it just did not come together for me in the end. 
    In Red at the Bone we explore the relationships and the journey built around Melody, a child of a teen pregnancy.  Unlike many teen pregnancies, Melody is born into a well to do family that has many resources to help her, and her parents succeed.  The story begins at Melody's Coming out celebration when she is 16- the same age her mother was when she was born. The author moves between different points of view- Melody, her grandparents, and her parents. The coming out celebration is a great vehicle for the adults, and Melody to indulge in memories of her short life, explaining how things came to be the way that they were between Melody and the adults who care for her.  The author is able to tell the entire story of how this child came into existence through the memories of these adults - while exploring the effects of this pregnancy on all the people, both positive and negative. 
This book was well written and has some excellent thought provoking moments, I just couldn't quite get myself immersed in it, possibly because it is very short, and also possibly because I listened to it on audio book, and they used several different people to "play" each character which I found a little unsettling.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Drug use

Minor: Pregnancy

mengzhenreads's review

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• 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

The writing and prose is beautiful and all the different perspectives made this book truly thought-provoking and profound.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Sexual content, Grief, and Cancer

Minor: Child death, Drug use, and Hate crime

davidrb's review

challenging emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

My only criticism of the book is that I wish it was longer. Unfortunately, I just wanted more of it! Some parts felt a little underdeveloped, but it was masterfully done even for how short it was.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Drug use, Hate crime, Pregnancy, Racism, Racial slurs, and Sexual content