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citybookspgh's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
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? No
4.0
A young woman confronts racism in the publishing world. Subplot is a Sapphic love story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Classism, Racism, and Gaslighting
hawk_just_hawk's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Such a frustrating read for me. I’m not really into “bad communication” as the major theme. You spend 700 pages watching someone that you want to care about making awful decisions and don’t get the pay-off when she finally (FINALLY) tells off the fuckboi.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Drug use, Sexual content, Alcohol, Racism, Racial slurs, Infidelity, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Body shaming and Fatphobia
Minor: Religious bigotry
poisoned_icecream's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism and Racism
siobhanward's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book bore a lot of resemblance to Central Places , which is fresh on my mind since I read it earlier this month. In both books, young women return to their small home towns, full of emotion and then proceed to make a bunch of selfish, poor decisions and wreck a good deal of their lives. I did have a bit more hope for this one, as the premise was more interesting - Mickey was returning home after unfairly losing a job and writing a manifesto on her mistreatment, which was certainly going to be a significant plot element, right?
Unfortunately not. The most interesting part of Mickey's story (her firing, her revenge), means nothing. She doesn't actually do anything after being fired, and anything that happens to her is purely luck and timing. I just can't keep reading about these women being so self-destructive anymore. Life is already there, I don't need it in my fiction too.
Unfortunately not. The most interesting part of Mickey's story (her firing, her revenge), means nothing. She doesn't actually do anything after being fired, and anything that happens to her is purely luck and timing. I just can't keep reading about these women being so self-destructive anymore. Life is already there, I don't need it in my fiction too.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Toxic relationship
Minor: Racial slurs
gracescanlon's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book sounded SO good. After reading and enjoying The Other Black Girl a few years ago, Homebodies sounded tangentially similar and more appealing (to me).
The characters, their relationships, and their interactions were believable and well-fleshed out. Mickey’s frustration at the unfairness (at best) of her situation was palpable.
I’d expected the story to primarily be about the racism, micro-aggressions, etc. that Mickey and other POC experience, as well as the effect of her letter and the fallout from its going viral. That was what appealed to me most when I read the inside cover at the library. However, the story focused primarily on Mickey’s current romantic relationship and her reuniting with her first love. It was a good story, but I was still incredibly disappointed that the story I’d been promised was not what I got when I read the book.
The characters, their relationships, and their interactions were believable and well-fleshed out. Mickey’s frustration at the unfairness (at best) of her situation was palpable.
I’d expected the story to primarily be about the racism, micro-aggressions, etc. that Mickey and other POC experience, as well as the effect of her letter and the fallout from its going viral. That was what appealed to me most when I read the inside cover at the library. However, the story focused primarily on Mickey’s current romantic relationship and her reuniting with her first love. It was a good story, but I was still incredibly disappointed that the story I’d been promised was not what I got when I read the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Infidelity, and Sexual content
Moderate: Fatphobia, Racial slurs, Racism, and Homophobia
Minor: Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, and Abandonment
deetabz's review
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Lesbophobia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Body shaming, Toxic friendship, Cultural appropriation, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Infidelity, Racial slurs, and Fatphobia
Minor: Alcohol, Drug use, and Religious bigotry
ukponge's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Racism
amberlfaris's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Fatphobia, and Racism
caseythereader's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-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: Racism, Infidelity, Alcohol, Homophobia, Sexual content, Cursing, and Drug use
annreadsabook'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
3.0
I wanted to love this more than I did! Didn’t hate it, but definitely finished this book feeling sorely disappointed.
First, the good: I loved what this book was getting at—Black women who are searching and yearning for more than what we’re given in life. And, Black women trying to find ways to grow and giving themselves grace in the process. I think this is a topic that’s so profoundly important, and I love seeing some Black messy characters.
However…I felt that after the 40% mark, the book ground to a halt. There were some serious pacing issues in this book, and I also found that the character development we were promised didn’t fully pan out. In fact, by the end it seemed like a lot of Mickey’s actions post-manifesto were nothing more than her shooting herself in the foot without any real lessons learned—I’m not sure how much she actually grew over the course of this book, yet that seemed to be the point of the novel.
Anyway, I would still be interested to see what this author writes next, since I found the premise and a good chunk of the book to be promising.
Thanks to Harper Books for the advance copy!
First, the good: I loved what this book was getting at—Black women who are searching and yearning for more than what we’re given in life. And, Black women trying to find ways to grow and giving themselves grace in the process. I think this is a topic that’s so profoundly important, and I love seeing some Black messy characters.
However…I felt that after the 40% mark, the book ground to a halt. There were some serious pacing issues in this book, and I also found that the character development we were promised didn’t fully pan out. In fact, by the end it seemed like a lot of Mickey’s actions post-manifesto were nothing more than her shooting herself in the foot without any real lessons learned—I’m not sure how much she actually grew over the course of this book, yet that seemed to be the point of the novel.
Anyway, I would still be interested to see what this author writes next, since I found the premise and a good chunk of the book to be promising.
Thanks to Harper Books for the advance copy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Fatphobia, and Homophobia
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