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keelirae113's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Hate crime, Addiction, Drug use, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, Classism, Gaslighting, Grief, Medical content, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Cursing, Deportation, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Kidnapping, and Mental illness
applejacksbooks's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
themahtin's review against another edition
5.0
Such a great book - it turns into a thriller. FYI, there are graphic sex scenes (she's so good at writing them) and descriptions of dead bodies.
kleonard's review against another edition
4.0
This is a great example of how what seems to be genre fiction--in this case, a thriller--can also serve as social commentary and education. Yolanda, an FBI agent, goes undercover with a Black organization that is seeking justice for the damage done to its community by a local industrial giant. The more she involves herself with the group, the more aware she becomes of why we need Black Lives Matter and other groups working for change.
shannonw19's review against another edition
4.0
Yolanda Vance is a whistleblower-turned FBI agent. She wants to be an analyst and help bring down white collar criminals. Instead, she is tasked with infiltrating a young environmental group in Holloway, California, the home of her alma mater, Cartwright University. Yolanda accepts the assignment because she has no choice. Little does she know she'll risk her life and her heart.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a perfect combination of intrigue, suspense, and romance. The writing is good and the plotting is twisty and turny. The only real criticism of the book I have is the ending leaves out information. Certain plot points are not revealed. But that could have been intentional.
Particularly, I liked her portrayal of the teens in the movement. They are smart, sassy, and realize they are victims of their circumstances and are trying to make a difference. The characters are well-developed. I loved the references to music and the structure of the book.
If you are looking for a good, fun read, this is your book.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a perfect combination of intrigue, suspense, and romance. The writing is good and the plotting is twisty and turny. The only real criticism of the book I have is the ending leaves out information. Certain plot points are not revealed. But that could have been intentional.
Particularly, I liked her portrayal of the teens in the movement. They are smart, sassy, and realize they are victims of their circumstances and are trying to make a difference. The characters are well-developed. I loved the references to music and the structure of the book.
If you are looking for a good, fun read, this is your book.
juniper_reads_things's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I just didn’t connect with this one
mg_in_md_'s review against another edition
4.0
When the Manhattan firm where Yolanda Vance is a first-year associate is raided by the FBI, she makes a split second decision to become a whistleblower, handing over a stack of documents instead of shredding them as she'd been instructed to do. This decision leads her to apply for a job with the FBI. The application was intended to be a back-up plan, but no other corporate law firm was willing to hire her following the raid and her decision to turn over those documents.
Yolanda is initially assigned to work as an attorney in a New Jersey field office. But, one day, she is called in with a special assignment that will take her to the San Francisco Bay area to work as an undercover agent. The assignment is to infiltrate an African-American "extremist" organization based in the town where she attended college. Her youth and connection to the town make her a seemingly ideal choice for this assignment, even though she is not an agent.
The story moves along at a brisk pace -- the raid, Yolanda's hiring by the FBI, and her assignment all happen within the first ten pages -- from start to finish. At times, I would've liked to have seen the story slow a bit, as the faster pace seemed to gloss over certain spots. This made it somewhat difficult to follow all of the in's and out's of the case, but perhaps that helped the reader to understand Yolanda's conflicted feelings about her assignment and the organization she was investigating. There is a romance element to this story and some scenes were steamier than I was expecting to read in a spy novel. While the romance was part of the reason that Yolanda was so conflicted, I ended up skimming those parts of the story to get back to the case and political intrigue.
While the pacing and story were quite different, I was reminded of [b:American Spy|40274582|American Spy|Lauren Wilkinson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1534064514l/40274582._SY75_.jpg|58241066] by [a:Lauren Wilkinson|17287509|Lauren Wilkinson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1530050377p2/17287509.jpg], which I really enjoyed. The struggles of each woman working undercover made for intriguing reads in both cases and I would recommend both books to anyone interested in reading a fresh take on the traditional spy novel.
Many thanks to the Goodreads Giveaways program for the chance to read this advanced digital copy courtesy of Dafina! I look forward to reading more books by this author soon based on my read of this captivating novel.
Yolanda is initially assigned to work as an attorney in a New Jersey field office. But, one day, she is called in with a special assignment that will take her to the San Francisco Bay area to work as an undercover agent. The assignment is to infiltrate an African-American "extremist" organization based in the town where she attended college. Her youth and connection to the town make her a seemingly ideal choice for this assignment, even though she is not an agent.
The story moves along at a brisk pace -- the raid, Yolanda's hiring by the FBI, and her assignment all happen within the first ten pages -- from start to finish. At times, I would've liked to have seen the story slow a bit, as the faster pace seemed to gloss over certain spots. This made it somewhat difficult to follow all of the in's and out's of the case, but perhaps that helped the reader to understand Yolanda's conflicted feelings about her assignment and the organization she was investigating. There is a romance element to this story and some scenes were steamier than I was expecting to read in a spy novel. While the romance was part of the reason that Yolanda was so conflicted, I ended up skimming those parts of the story to get back to the case and political intrigue.
While the pacing and story were quite different, I was reminded of [b:American Spy|40274582|American Spy|Lauren Wilkinson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1534064514l/40274582._SY75_.jpg|58241066] by [a:Lauren Wilkinson|17287509|Lauren Wilkinson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1530050377p2/17287509.jpg], which I really enjoyed. The struggles of each woman working undercover made for intriguing reads in both cases and I would recommend both books to anyone interested in reading a fresh take on the traditional spy novel.
Many thanks to the Goodreads Giveaways program for the chance to read this advanced digital copy courtesy of Dafina! I look forward to reading more books by this author soon based on my read of this captivating novel.
emc425's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 rounded up to a 4!
This book started with a bang and didn't let up!
I liked this book, there were definitely some parts that fell a little flat for me, but overall I had a lot of fun reading it! I loved the students and their distinct voices, as well as the overall dynamic of the characters within the RBG. Yolanda's character development was also fun to watch. I have to admit I wasn't her biggest fan in the beginning, but I loved watching her grow, and by the end I was rooting for her one hundred percent.
I love how this book showcases healthy, active relationships between women who support and encourage each other, in personal and professional life. It also focuses on a lot of very topical, important issues like racial injustice and sexism.
Without spoiling anything, I will say there was a lot going on in this book, and at times I felt like I was having trouble keeping track of everything in my head and connecting all of the moving parts. That being said, I'm not sure if that's a fault of the book, or just my own silly brain.
Overall I really enjoyed this one and would recommend it to anyone looking for a solid book featuring some important themes and a little romance sprinkled in.
This book started with a bang and didn't let up!
I liked this book, there were definitely some parts that fell a little flat for me, but overall I had a lot of fun reading it! I loved the students and their distinct voices, as well as the overall dynamic of the characters within the RBG. Yolanda's character development was also fun to watch. I have to admit I wasn't her biggest fan in the beginning, but I loved watching her grow, and by the end I was rooting for her one hundred percent.
I love how this book showcases healthy, active relationships between women who support and encourage each other, in personal and professional life. It also focuses on a lot of very topical, important issues like racial injustice and sexism.
Without spoiling anything, I will say there was a lot going on in this book, and at times I felt like I was having trouble keeping track of everything in my head and connecting all of the moving parts. That being said, I'm not sure if that's a fault of the book, or just my own silly brain.
Overall I really enjoyed this one and would recommend it to anyone looking for a solid book featuring some important themes and a little romance sprinkled in.
mellabella's review against another edition
4.0
I received this book from Bookish First.
I should have reviewed this book a long time ago. But it also seems I'm right on time for Hispanic Heritage Month.
Yolanda is a great main character. She's a lawyer that escaped a poor upbringing. Determined to rise to the top. But then the law firm she works for is raided by the FBI.
So she starts working for "The Bureau". Working undercover in a Black extremist group she becomes torn for many different reasons. There is a guy, of course. But also her life, morals and relationship are on the line.
It's an iterating premise that you might have seen one before with a very different protagonist. There are a few tense moments and some suspense. While the romance was somewhat predictable, it wasn't cheesy. It explored racism, sexism and feminism.
The cover art is beautiful and it's a well written book.
I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.
I should have reviewed this book a long time ago. But it also seems I'm right on time for Hispanic Heritage Month.
Yolanda is a great main character. She's a lawyer that escaped a poor upbringing. Determined to rise to the top. But then the law firm she works for is raided by the FBI.
So she starts working for "The Bureau". Working undercover in a Black extremist group she becomes torn for many different reasons. There is a guy, of course. But also her life, morals and relationship are on the line.
It's an iterating premise that you might have seen one before with a very different protagonist. There are a few tense moments and some suspense. While the romance was somewhat predictable, it wasn't cheesy. It explored racism, sexism and feminism.
The cover art is beautiful and it's a well written book.
I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.
amkozy23's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
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
3.5
I found this book easy to follow for the most part. There was some instances that were a little confusing with the back and forth. The beginning was a little slow and I was a little annoyed about the way Yolanda talked about the people in RBG when she first met them. I was not very interested in the love story, but the action was very exciting. I like the way that Leon writes but I do think this book could have used a few tweaks to make it better.