Reviews - The Name She Gave Me

106 reviews for:

The Name She Gave Me

Betty Culley

4.02 AVERAGE

isobel_shobs's review against another edition

4.0

emotional medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

dpearson5257's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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: No

Oh my gosh I truly enjoyed this book, I wasn’t sure what to expect with the story of adoption and finding her family but I loved so much of this story. The friendships and found family, the dynamics of her adoptive parents and the finding of her biological sister. Everything about this story was so sweet and tender and heart warming and it was truly a joy to read.

robynjhip's review against another edition

5.0

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

candelibri's review against another edition

4.75

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

desperatecheesecubes's review against another edition

4.0

emotional

marque's review against another edition

4.75

hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Content Warnings

evamadera1's review against another edition

3.5

challenging emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Reading this book directly after Goth Girl, Queen of the Universe, made this book suffer a little bit in comparison just because of how much I loved Goth Girl. However, Culley does an excellent job with this free verse narrative in delving into the adoption story, beyond the supposed "happily ever after" that so many paint adoptions with. The main character struggles with her relationship with her mother who has never seemed to accept her even as the mother continues to tell the main character that she (the mother) chose her (the main character). She loves her father but grows to see just how often he has ended up choosing his wife over her when he does not call her on how she treats their daughter. When the main character discovers that she has a sister, who after the death of their mother is now in foster care, she longs for a relationship with her but she also desperately does not want her parents to go through the foster to adopt process with her sister because of how toxic it has been for her. Things dealt with in this book often do not get discussed but they present an all too real reality for so many.