Reviews

This book was DARK. I enjoyed the way it was written because I definitely felt like I was inside Carlotta’s head but for some reason I just couldn’t really get into it.

dariamorgendorffer's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted sad slow-paced

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? Yes

3.25

willowbiblio's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

"It's really just laziness, ain't it, like the less rights you think a motherfucker got, the less you think you gotta recanize that that person be a real person with a brain an feelings an children an parents, an that they lives and they struggles be real an not just some mumbo jumbo crapped out a bird's ass on your windshield. The less you think you gotta care about another person, the less you *do* care."
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I expected this book to be excellent, and it was something even greater. Carlotta Mercedes had so much capacity for joy and a wonder for this "new" world that was infectious. I loved the constant shift from third to first person- a narration of Carlotta's actions/circumstance and an immediate switch to her inner dialogue.

She was so funny and so aware of her why. Her bravery to share her story of abuse to Doodle and her awareness during the disclosure of how alien the world she was describing is was devastating. I was so sad for her at towards the end, because of how the system was just designed for her to fail and not remotely to support her reentry. But I loved that we were able to reconnect with her at the end and see that her hope for herself is still there.

Hannaham pulled no punches in his commentary on gentrification, the prison system, transphobia, racism, and the loneliness of the modern age. There were moments when Carlotta's soliloquies felt like Hannaham philosophizing, but I actually enjoyed it.

I loved how immersive this book was- the dialect especially. And mostly, I loved Carlotta's resilience in a world that had transformed, and her determination to believe in better things.

Content Warnings