Scan barcode
robyn_fenix's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, and Gun violence
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Bullying, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Mass/school shootings and Toxic friendship
moonyreadsbystarlight's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This one is probably closer to a 3.75 for me, but it was still a good read! I really liked that she was able to deal with tough issues well in the context of this YA romance. I also liked the complexity we saw within these characters and that what they were going through spanned past just a music festival and a romance. That being said, I did think that some of the issues surrounding the romance in the last third or so of the book felt a bit forced (I do think what was brought up could have played out well, but the idea of it happening within the course of a day was a bit too much of a stretch). However, like I said, this was still an enjoyable book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Death of parent, and Gun violence
literaryprincess's review
fast-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
0.75
I kept waiting for this book to get better and it never did.
The concept of two talented young black girls falling for each other over a whirlwind weekend during a music festival seemed like exactly the kind of story I'd want to devour, but the combination of instalove, incredibly easy-to-hate characters, and the shoehorning in of triggering backstories for our main characters for the sake of social commentary was just too much for me to even pretend to like.
(The book does include very straightforward trigger warnings from the author at the start, which I do appreciate. I more so felt like the inclusion of these topics in the book were handled poorly.)
I went into this story knowing that the romance would take place over a single weekend, and typically short and sweet romances like this are tolerable if they aren't overdramatic. Olivia and Toni are the definition of "I would die for this stranger" after practically one conversation and it's so jarring and frustrating.
Olivia is hands down one of the worst protagonists I've ever had to read. She garners zero sympathy from me the way she consistently mistreats her best friend and faces zero repercussions aside from a slap on the wrist in a single argument. Had the narrative painted her in a negative light for even a moment it would have felt justified, but she plays the victim in every possible instance. Her entire storyline is that she jumps from relationship to relationship in an attempt to fill a hole in her life, and she's meant to realize that she doesn't need romance to feel complete, yet this is a romance book where she ends up with the girl she met two days ago and is meant to be Her Person(tm) which negates the whole point.
Toni's trauma would have been better to explore in a different book. The very real history of black men being victims of gun violence could have been well written about without the constant mention of real-life mass shootings at music venues sporadically dropped between outdated references and petty teenage drama.
Over all this book was just annoying and frustrating, which is so sad as someone who wants to see more black wlw stories.
The concept of two talented young black girls falling for each other over a whirlwind weekend during a music festival seemed like exactly the kind of story I'd want to devour, but the combination of instalove, incredibly easy-to-hate characters, and the shoehorning in of triggering backstories for our main characters for the sake of social commentary was just too much for me to even pretend to like.
(The book does include very straightforward trigger warnings from the author at the start, which I do appreciate. I more so felt like the inclusion of these topics in the book were handled poorly.)
I went into this story knowing that the romance would take place over a single weekend, and typically short and sweet romances like this are tolerable if they aren't overdramatic. Olivia and Toni are the definition of "I would die for this stranger" after practically one conversation and it's so jarring and frustrating.
Olivia is hands down one of the worst protagonists I've ever had to read. She garners zero sympathy from me the way she consistently mistreats her best friend and faces zero repercussions aside from a slap on the wrist in a single argument. Had the narrative painted her in a negative light for even a moment it would have felt justified, but she plays the victim in every possible instance. Her entire storyline is that she jumps from relationship to relationship in an attempt to fill a hole in her life, and she's meant to realize that she doesn't need romance to feel complete, yet this is a romance book where she ends up with the girl she met two days ago and is meant to be Her Person(tm) which negates the whole point.
Toni's trauma would have been better to explore in a different book. The very real history of black men being victims of gun violence could have been well written about without the constant mention of real-life mass shootings at music venues sporadically dropped between outdated references and petty teenage drama.
Over all this book was just annoying and frustrating, which is so sad as someone who wants to see more black wlw stories.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence and Sexual harassment
tinytrashqueen's review
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, and Misogyny
fig29's review
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
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
3.5
i found olivia to be so incredibly selfish throughout the book that it was honestly tough to read at parts. olivia did have some decent character development and in the last like 10% actually apologized to her best friend, but it took us way too long to get to that point.
i did like the little throwback to YOU SHOULD SEE ME IN A CROWN by including mack in this.
the story overall felt like it was trying to include a lot all at once, and just wasn’t my favorite. additionally, this story took place over a 3-day weekend and toni was already talking about “falling in love” with olivia like 66% of the way through the book. the insta-love was very overwhelming.
overall, i loved the description of the music festival (as a music fan and festival-goer, the atmospheric description was 100% accurate). i’ve missed live music during this nightmare-world we’ve been in, and this was a nice release. i also loved the representation in the book and i am very glad it exists.
i likely would only recommend this to a friend if they’ve already read YOU SHOULD SEE ME IN A CROWN, as i don’t think this should be anyone’s first dabble into leah johnson’s work, because she is better than this book shows.
(imani was my favorite tho i’m willing to go to war for her. loml. i want her to be happy all the time. we’re getting married in the spring and you’re all invited.)
i did like the little throwback to YOU SHOULD SEE ME IN A CROWN by including mack in this.
the story overall felt like it was trying to include a lot all at once, and just wasn’t my favorite. additionally, this story took place over a 3-day weekend and toni was already talking about “falling in love” with olivia like 66% of the way through the book. the insta-love was very overwhelming.
overall, i loved the description of the music festival (as a music fan and festival-goer, the atmospheric description was 100% accurate). i’ve missed live music during this nightmare-world we’ve been in, and this was a nice release. i also loved the representation in the book and i am very glad it exists.
i likely would only recommend this to a friend if they’ve already read YOU SHOULD SEE ME IN A CROWN, as i don’t think this should be anyone’s first dabble into leah johnson’s work, because she is better than this book shows.
(imani was my favorite tho i’m willing to go to war for her. loml. i want her to be happy all the time. we’re getting married in the spring and you’re all invited.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Toxic friendship
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Grief
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Gun violence
rynstagram's review
3.75
*review based on an ARC
A Black Girl Magic, queer love story at a music festival... aka an amazing recipe for a rom-com! I guess it wasn't super funny, but it has the feel of a rom-com.
This book had a slow start but I was crying by the end. (Good crying, though.) Toni and Olivia are so well-written that I didn't even have a favorite narrator, which is hard to do when a book has multiple narrators. The concept of the Farmland Music and Arts Festival was really well thought out and added so many layers to the story; it was the perfect venue for this romance to blossom! (Okay, sorry, I'm being a little cheesy. But rom-coms are supposed to be cheesy, right?)
A great example of how having a crush on someone doesn't have to ruin your friendship with them, how friendships and people change but that's okay, how apologizing is sometimes enough and sometimes not enough. There are some heavy topics in here, but--with incredible finesse--Leah Johnson weaves them together with the lighter and more fun parts of the narrative.
I did sometimes feel like the characters' thoughts were a bit too on-the-nose, like they were telling us verbatim what we should be getting out of a scene or moment rather than just letting us feel it. It doesn't bother me when this is done once or twice, but towards the end, there were so many moments like this that it detracted from what was happening and slowed things down more than they needed to be.
Peter was such a great character, too. He was like a puppy dog person and just the best dude ever. Everyone needs a Peter in their life to force them to look on the bright side! Plus, his random US president facts were always delightful. Peter could fit in with the characters of a John Green book easily.
A Black Girl Magic, queer love story at a music festival... aka an amazing recipe for a rom-com! I guess it wasn't super funny, but it has the feel of a rom-com.
This book had a slow start but I was crying by the end. (Good crying, though.) Toni and Olivia are so well-written that I didn't even have a favorite narrator, which is hard to do when a book has multiple narrators. The concept of the Farmland Music and Arts Festival was really well thought out and added so many layers to the story; it was the perfect venue for this romance to blossom! (Okay, sorry, I'm being a little cheesy. But rom-coms are supposed to be cheesy, right?)
A great example of how having a crush on someone doesn't have to ruin your friendship with them, how friendships and people change but that's okay, how apologizing is sometimes enough and sometimes not enough. There are some heavy topics in here, but--with incredible finesse--Leah Johnson weaves them together with the lighter and more fun parts of the narrative.
I did sometimes feel like the characters' thoughts were a bit too on-the-nose, like they were telling us verbatim what we should be getting out of a scene or moment rather than just letting us feel it. It doesn't bother me when this is done once or twice, but towards the end, there were so many moments like this that it detracted from what was happening and slowed things down more than they needed to be.
Peter was such a great character, too. He was like a puppy dog person and just the best dude ever. Everyone needs a Peter in their life to force them to look on the bright side! Plus, his random US president facts were always delightful. Peter could fit in with the characters of a John Green book easily.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Gun violence
Minor: Racism, Sexism, and Biphobia
_forestofpages's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual harassment, Cursing, and Biphobia
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Sexual harassment
bi_n_large's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, and Misogyny
Moderate: Gun violence and Emotional abuse