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faynebrio's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Incest, Rape, Child death, and Pedophilia
naniaunruh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I understand that this book can have value for Black British women who can feel seen and represented here but i feel like this could have been achieved and better by getting a diverse group of Black British female and trans authors together to write stories instead of having one person to try and do it all.
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Transphobia, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, Incest, Classism, Misogyny, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Child abuse, Racism, and Homophobia
Minor: Fatphobia and Child death
lynxpardinus's review
4.5
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Child abuse, Dysphoria, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Transphobia, Death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Hate crime, and Homophobia
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Islamophobia, Sexual harassment, Xenophobia, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Incest, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Ableism, Pedophilia, Slavery, Suicide, War, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child death, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Sexual content
Minor: Antisemitism, Cancer, Confinement, Miscarriage, Dementia, Forced institutionalization, Animal death, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Incest warning is just in case, for an affair between in-laws.grandpabuxton's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
My only disappointment was I felt the epilogue was a little predictable and I wanted more from it, but not sure what.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Abandonment, Sexism, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Outing, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Rape, Misogyny, Grief, Death, Deadnaming, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, Classism, Transphobia, Sexual violence, Racism, Islamophobia, Incest, Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Child death, and Infertility
hannahbailey's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Generally I prefer not to read character-vignette novels written in third-person. But this novel just goes to show that when done well, I can really enjoy them! I loved the distinct voice of each character and how they would be name-dropped in one chapter only to be the main character of the next one. It built such an interesting and creative narrative without leaving me feeling I didn't know enough about them–which is usually the case for me with character-vignettes.
Surprised to see some reviews stating the character dialogue and mix of poetry/prose was hard to believe and unrealistic. I completely disagree! The inner dialogue of the female characters was relatable and familiar. I enjoyed the exploration of womanhood and motherhood and how this intersects with race in Britain. It was an interesting and sobering read.
It was almost 5 stars, but there was a part where the character overcomes drug addiction by sheer willpower–they literally stay at home for a week without any form of support and somehow recovers? This didn't feel realistic to me especially given the vulnerability and young age of the character. That said, this was one of the chapters that really stood out to me in its exploration of body/gender dysphoria and trans joy.
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Lesbophobia, Racism, Alcohol, Abortion, Addiction, Cursing, Deadnaming, Drug use, Blood, Body shaming, Death, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Slavery, Transphobia, and Xenophobia
thedisabledreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Incest, Islamophobia, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Ableism, Alcohol, Child abuse, Classism, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Xenophobia, Transphobia, Toxic relationship, and Suicidal thoughts
vaniafernandez_'s review
- 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
Graphic: Racism, Rape, Transphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Incest and Infidelity
zombiezami's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
The one thing I didn't like flat out was the way trans topics were handled in the book. I thought it was great to read about Morgan's understanding of themselves and their loving long-term relationship. However, the other characters in the book repeated anti-trans talking points almost completely unchallenged. Given the growing anti-trans sentiment in Britain in particular, plus the fact that so few cis people claim to know anyone who is trans or be informed on trans issues, I felt that this was not a responsible way to frame these conversations.
Graphic: Pregnancy, Homophobia, Transphobia, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Racism, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Grief, Xenophobia, and Biphobia
Moderate: Animal death, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Racial slurs, Hate crime, Police brutality, Adult/minor relationship, Infertility, Child death, Child abuse, Mental illness, Cursing, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, Violence, Incest, Islamophobia, and Medical content
Minor: Antisemitism, Vomit, Forced institutionalization, Self harm, and Mass/school shootings
manon_misheck's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Transphobia
Minor: Sexual content
martinatan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Bullying, Deadnaming, Drug use, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, and Xenophobia
Minor: Abortion, Addiction, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, and Racial slurs