Reviews with content warning for Rape - Allegedly

Hard to celebrate the day you were born when everybody seems to wish you were never born at all. Especially after you come into this world and fuck it all up.

rating: 3.5 stars
trigger/content warnings: death of infant, bullying, r/s between a minor & a young adult, severe bullying, child abuse, gaslighting, racism, lesbophobia, ableism, attempted child SA, references to rape, fatphobia

while i usually do enjoy following stories from an unreliable perspective—and that aspect sure added to intrigue of this book—i still have no idea what to feel about that ending. i understand what jackson's intent was, but there's a part of me that feels like there was there missing things that could've helped tie in together with the final parts while still maintaining the dubious & unpredictable narrative. idk. still, i can def say that jackson succeeded in provoking a certain reaction through that ending.

such a heavy and gritty story about a young girl enduring an abundance of fucked up but infuriatingly real scenarios, it all makes your stomach churn. there were parts that remind you that this was her debut, but it's such an immersive and compelling debut nonetheless.

“What does it mean when you love and hate someone at the same time?” I ask.

He laughs. “It means they family.”

Content Warnings

lostintheplot's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

lakinlindsey's review against another edition

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dark 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? It's complicated

4.25

I am so MAD about this ending. First off, this book was superb minus the last chapter. I enjoyed Monday’s Not Coming but this novel was far better by Tiffany D. Jackson. This book hurts with deep themes of the cycle of abuse, racism, and our terrible criminal justice system. Mary is a great character with so much nuance and depth but you get mad at her love for her mother(?) throughout yet you understand it at the same time. The abuse Mary suffered was awful and you resent her mother. However, there is a twist in the last chapter that makes you rethink all the feelings you had toward the mother and even with the main character. There were some hints to the end throughout the book, but it still felt quite cheap nevertheless. This would be a five star if the ending was done better and not felt so tacked on.

Content Warnings