Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson

19 reviews

dananana's review against another edition

hopeful lighthearted

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Gun violence, Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief

Minor: Biphobia and Cultural appropriation

bumblebroxbeeblebooks's review against another edition

3.0

I wasn't really cool with the way trauma and gun violence was portrayed in this. The only thing I really enjoyed was the music festival aspect

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, and Grief

greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny reflective sad fast-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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Gun violence, Murder, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Mass/school shootings, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, and Toxic relationship

erikawynn's review

adventurous hopeful lighthearted 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 loved You Should See Me in a Crown but insta-love storylines are really not for me! I feel like it would have been stronger if Olivia and Toni remained broken up and Olivia realized she needs to learn to take romantic relationships more slowly and not take her friends for granted .

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Mass/school shootings, and Gun violence

Moderate: Biphobia, Bullying, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Cultural appropriation

samone2's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Grief

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Gun violence

toberomanced's review

emotional funny reflective fast-paced

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

3.5

Maybe it’s because I’m not much of a music person but this one just didn’t click with me. It could also be that I’ve outgrown the age where falling in love over a two day period is normal and exciting? The writing was beautiful though and I loved the sentiments and life lessons expresses throughout. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Sexual harassment

foreverinastory's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-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

5.0

I loved this! It was so fun and just what I needed right now. Leah Johnson can do no wrong in my mind.

Rise to the Sun is a dual POV contemporary romance that revolves around the Farmland Music & Arts Festival. In it we meet Olivia, she's recently ended a toxic relationship, has asthma and needs something fun to do with her best friend, Imani. Our other narrator is Toni, Farmland has been her home, just like music has. But one year ago Toni lost her father to a robbery and shooting and she's still trying to process her grief and figure out what comes next for her.

While this book still addresses serious topics: gun violence, sexual harassment, distributing naked photos of minors, and grief, it also is such a joyful book. This book is definitely more joy than trauma and seeing the MCs be happy and live fulfilling lives at this festival made me happy. I enjoyed this book so much and I can't wait for Johnson's next book.

Rep: Black bisexual female MC with asthma, Black lesbian female MC with PTSD and anxiety, white heterosexual male side character, Black sapphic female side character, white sapphic female side character. 

CWs: Body shaming, chronic illness (asthma), death of parent, mental illness (anxiety & PTSD), panic attacks, racism, sexism, sexual harassment including sexual coercion, bullying. Moderate: abandonment, gun violence, grief. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Abandonment, Grief, and Gun violence

spaghettireads's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted sad 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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Gun violence, Grief, and Sexual content

Moderate: Mass/school shootings

starlessnights's review

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual harassment and Toxic relationship

Minor: Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Sexism, Toxic friendship, and Violence

betweentheshelves's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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

3.5

I have mixed feelings about this book. It didn't grab me like <i>You Should See Me in a Crown</i> did, but this is also a different story and a totally different kind of book. Yes, there was still a great romance and I loved that aspect of the story. Leah Johnson is great at writing character. Maybe I just wasn't a huge fan of the setting? I don't know! I'll have to give it more thought.

There were some plot points that I also didn't think were really needed for this particular story. I would have been fine with the book just focusing on Toni and Olivia's relationship and how it evolved over the weekend. The rest of the stuff going on with the festival kind of took away from that, and I wish that it hadn't.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Gun violence

Moderate: Death of parent, Bullying, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Mass/school shootings, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship