Scan barcode
flamingtashhh's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Quick! Really flew by. An easy read in terms of difficulty, but could be challenging emotionally. I almost wish I’d seen more of the characters, but the plot may have outpaced them; the static characters worked well for the plot. I’m absolutely not a fan of crime novels, but this one was pretty good for the genre. I knocked a star because I typically value character development more, and another one because it didn’t challenge me really. But the framing of the serial killing through childhood violence was interesting and made the novel feel less voyeuristic than a typical crime novel, so that bought back another 3/4 star for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Police brutality
7bookrats's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
My Sister, The Serial Killer is a fast paced and hard to put down read. It strikes a balance of a light-hearted slice of life and an emotional tale about Korede's relationships, loyalties, experiences and past.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Gore and Police brutality
Minor: Addiction and Adult/minor relationship
caprivoyant's review against another edition
challenging
dark
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Book review in a face: 😐
Lemme 'splain. You know how sometimes you watch TV shows that are actually kind of horrible but you love them at the same time? That's how I felt at the beginning of this book. I think I actually told my friend: "this is an absolute s-h-i-t show, and I love it." 😅
BUT! Then that started to tank with some ⚠️ CW ⚠️ child abuse that hit a little too close to home for me.
In the end, it was a wash for me. Honestly, I don't think I was prepared for it. I didn't look up content warnings before I started reading and that was a dumb move on my part.
If you've been eyeing this book for yourself, maybe this'll help to tell if it's your kind of book or not:
👍🏻 This book might be for you if:
Lemme 'splain. You know how sometimes you watch TV shows that are actually kind of horrible but you love them at the same time? That's how I felt at the beginning of this book. I think I actually told my friend: "this is an absolute s-h-i-t show, and I love it." 😅
BUT! Then that started to tank with some ⚠️ CW ⚠️ child abuse that hit a little too close to home for me.
In the end, it was a wash for me. Honestly, I don't think I was prepared for it. I didn't look up content warnings before I started reading and that was a dumb move on my part.
If you've been eyeing this book for yourself, maybe this'll help to tell if it's your kind of book or not:
👍🏻 This book might be for you if:
- you kinda love troubled/flawed characters
- you're into character studies
- you're ok with throwing your own moral compass out the door for a bit
(note: normally, I'm ok with this but this book took it a little too far imho) - you're good at reading between the lines at thoughts/feelings/memories that a MC won't admit even to herself
- you can read about some horrible things without feeling the horrible things
(this is where I went wrong)
👎🏻 This book might NOT be for you if:
- you want to feel like you can relate to the main characters
(unless you're a serial killer...??) - you're in the mood for a thriller
(this might be marked as a thriller, but I'm not convinced) - reading about a serial killer and her enabler is going to be hard for you
- you are healing from childhood abuse and/or are in a grief space for a loved one — especially if that person was killed
I hope this helps. I definitely read this book at the wrong time. I also assumed it would be more of a thriller, so my expectations for this one were just OFF from the get-go.
⚠️ PS - I don't even really have any idea where to start with content warnings with this one. There are so many. Child abuse/pedophilia were the ones that really got me, personally, but there's: infidelity, gaslighting, domestic abuse, murder (duh), police crappiness, and so many more things?! I'll put these in the CW section, but please know I didn't take extensive notes, so I might be remembering the intensity of these incorrectly. 😬
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, and Police brutality
sarahaf712's review against another edition
dark
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Addiction, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Physical abuse
Content warnings: colourism; comaeva_t_'s review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I just enjoyed it and liked that it had short chapters so it was easy to get through. As others have said the payoff was a little underwhelming so I was a bit disappointed. Also some of the characters were a bit flat. But I did like it and would recommend it as a good read and entertaining.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Police brutality, and Death of parent
jitterbugsnap's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Pedophilia and Police brutality
naja's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
yay for murder and loving your sister.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Drug use, Pedophilia, Rape, and Police brutality
dytiscusfriend's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was a delightful morsel! It's length was appropriate for the narrator who is a concise speaker but I also found myself wishing I could read so much more about the life of this character (as is so often the case with the very best books.) Oyinkan Braithewaite is a powerful storyteller and seamlessly brings together elements of misogyny, classism, cultural differences, colorism, and the lived impacts of trauma into a moving and still entertaining tale about murder.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Medical content
Moderate: Drug abuse, Pedophilia, and Police brutality
This book is in some ways what a friend of mine calls, "a trigger fest." The author, however, delicately addresses each upsetting subject with the grace of someone well-versed in the impacts of trauma. I did not find this book disturbing or distressing to read despite directly addressing in the main plot situations I have personally experienced.