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snrrainbow's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
stacy_27_'s review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This relationship was incredibly toxic and very Jackie and Shauna coded.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Racism
lezreadalot's review against another edition
4.0
I want to be close to the inferno of you,
even if it kills me.
4.5 stars. Gorgeously written, hard-hitting YA about an intense relationship between two girls. Written as a long poem, it hit me in the gut every other line, or made me think, or took me back to my girlhood, or offered thoughtful commentary on growing up as a queer black girl. There's not a lot that I can say about this, other than the fact that Woodfolk perfectly captured the painful nuance of being a teenager in love with your best friend, the kind of co-dependency that isn't great but you want to cling to anyway, all wrapped up in gorgeous, gorgeous language. It was musical but brutal, and I just adored all the fire/water imagery. Listened to the audiobook as ready by Amani Minter: such a great performance. Even the author's note at the end had me in my feelings. I don't read a lot of YA these days, but this is exactly the kind that I want to read. Definitely merits a reread someday. Huge kudos to this.
Content warnings:
Spoiler
harassment, implied csaI’d always been obsessed with water. Solid ground would never be enough.
divinawest's review
5.0
WOW. This book is so beautifully and lyrically written. It is feels like stream of consciousness poetry. Two black girls in a codependent relationship, fumbling their way through life. Unhealthy? Yes. But the love is real and beautiful.
A quick read that I would recommend to anyone.
A quick read that I would recommend to anyone.
danzibooks's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
brendan_e_m's review
3.0
Wonderful language that tipped a bit into romantic melodrama for my taste. Love that teens are reading this overarching idea that friends and romantic partners can be good for a time, even if that relationship ends.
alexa_mariee's review
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.75