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heyitssones's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Grief, and Child death
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, and Death
booksdogsandcoffee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Sara, after finding her best friend and girlfriend Annie, floating dead in the town river flees her home in a panic. Emilie at a young age has watched her sister over dose and is dealing with her own feelings of abandonment by her family.
Yerba Buena follows both women through their lives as they grow and over come deep seeded trauma
The events both women go through during the book ends up bringing them close, but also flinging them a part. LaCour captured the essence of what it means to suffer and find your way, no matter what cards life has set you.
Personally I felt shock after shock when each new traumatic life event was revealed for Sara and Emilie. Right up till the very end. And honestly the ending 50 pages is what made it a good book for me. PLEASE CHECK CW/tw
Cw/tw
Over dose
sexual assault
Addiction
Drug use
Adultery
Death
Graphic: Death, Addiction, Sexual assault, and Grief
Moderate: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Homophobia
Minor: Sexual content
brandys_library'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Drug abuse and Drug use
Moderate: Infidelity, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Abandonment, Sexual assault, and Addiction
Minor: Terminal illness, Blood, and Homophobia
kath_reads's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Homophobia, Drug use, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, and Death of parent
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I’ve enjoyed Nina LaCour’s writing for some time now, but admittedly I haven’t kept up much with her recent works, so hearing about Yerba Buena was an exciting surprise. Following her shift from young adult to adult writing feels oddly fitting and personal—I first read one of her novels as a young teenager, maybe even a pre-teen, and now I too am, at least legally, an adult. Unfortunately, though Yerba Buena is poignant and beautiful, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations.
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Sexual content, Death of parent, Child death, Pedophilia, Drug abuse, Addiction, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Alcohol
Minor: Blood, Racism, and Homophobia
Non-graphic overdose from a non-perspective character. Mild descriptions of corpses. Caretaking of a terminally ill relative, including hospice care and other depictions of end-stage illness and process thereof. Past relationship between professor and former student. Pedophilia/CSA (coercion of minors to have sex with an adult) is not shown but is unambiguously discussed.