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emmalinallap's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Child abuse, and Racism
embringaling's review
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Drug abuse, Rape, Child death, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Child abuse
Moderate: Addiction
okiecozyreader's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Kiera and her brother Marcus are living in an East Oakland run-down apartment complex while the rent keeps going up astronomically. Marcus is trying to make it as a music star and Kiara is just trying to make rent, even if it involves relationships with men who take advantage of her by Nightcrawling.
Such a tough read but she definitely tells the story of these women for these women.
“I am telling her how these streets open us up and remove the part of us most worth keeping: the child left in us.” P267
“Number one rule about entering somewhere you not supposed to enter us don't never guestion none of it. Don't ask nothing and don't act like you don't know what you doing because that'll land you right where you don't wanna be.” P235
“That was before I learned that life won't give you reasons for none of it, that sometimes fathers disappear and little girls don't make it to another birthday and mothers forget to be mothers." P81
Graphic: Sexual violence, Vomit, Child death, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Gun violence, and Sexual assault
madkat37's review
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Rape, and Sexual harassment
jemmasimmons's review
Graphic: Police brutality, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
zthebibliophile's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault
zoinkie's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Murder, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Drug use, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Alcohol, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Police brutality, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, and Death of parent
_meeg's review
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Grief, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Child death, Death, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Trafficking, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Gun violence, Abandonment, Sexual content, Violence, Addiction, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Hate crime, Police brutality, Classism, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Drug abuse, Racism, and Sexual violence
anna_in_the_spring's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
The writing is lyrical, which I only like sometimes. While I thought it was okay in this book, maybe that was because I had a much bigger problem with the language that is being used. In dialogue and sometimes also in internal speech African American dialect is being used. And I hated that. Let me explain. I am a non-native English speaker with dyslexia. Slangs and dialects in written English ( and any other written language I understand) irritate me greatly. I am at a level of reading comprehension with regular English where I can just read the text. Written dialects trigger my dyslexia and slow me down a great deal and make understanding difficult. They are like another foreign language. And I don't have the energy to deal with that. I just want to read a book, not struggle with a language that to me, who had such a hard time learning the original language, seems just wrong and like someone is playing a malicious prank on me.
I understand that this is not the intention and I don't have a problem with the existence of dialects. Just with having to read them. I try avoiding these kind of books.
I still struggled through the book , skimming over some parts, because it is a good book. And I understand why the language is as it is. It just wasn't for me. That's fine.
I didn't enjoy the plot, but I don't think you're supposed to. I'm not a big fan of tragedies, so again, not really for me. The subject matter is also thankfully very far removed from me. Still, if the dialect hadn't been there, I might have been able to enjoy the book, the way one enjoys a tragedy. Like this, I was never really able to get into it. But without the dialect it would have been a different book. So, again, this was just not for me. And that's fine.
Graphic: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Child death, Death, Trafficking, Drug use, Police brutality, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Suicide
mlachevre's review
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Rape, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Violence, Pedophilia, and Police brutality