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sperdutaneilibri's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Violence, Racism, and Gun violence
Moderate: Racial slurs
sabrinahughes's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful and complex.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
lpdx's review against another edition
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Bullying, Classism, Death of parent, Dementia, Dysphoria, Hate crime, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, and Homophobia
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic and Transphobia
theskyboi's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
When I say that this book had everything, I feel as though I'm not exaggerating in the slightest. Overall, I had such a fantastic time with Brit Bennett's impactful second novel.
Desiree and Stella Vignes are two identical twin sisters who grow up in Mallard, a town too small to have ever made it onto the map. Perhaps too big for their britches or too ambitious for their surroundings, they let out for greater destinies: Desiree as a Black woman and Stella passing for White.
At the center of this novel lies the struggle that Desiree faces in trying to find her long-lost twin, yet there are so many interlocked stories that sprout from this search. Jude, Desiree's daughter, inevitably sparked my interest with her lifelong journey of love and self-discovery.
Although I will refrain from revealing too much of the intrigue contained between the covers of this magnificent book, I will say that I was delighted to read a story that so effortlessly weaved its way through the intersecting identities of its characters: Black, White, trans, gay, and cis.
Bennett's care for these characters shines brightly on every subsequent page, and the attention that she paid to crafting such a satisfyingly connected, intergenerational exploration of identity formation was much more than I could have ever hoped to find.
Desiree and Stella Vignes are two identical twin sisters who grow up in Mallard, a town too small to have ever made it onto the map. Perhaps too big for their britches or too ambitious for their surroundings, they let out for greater destinies: Desiree as a Black woman and Stella passing for White.
At the center of this novel lies the struggle that Desiree faces in trying to find her long-lost twin, yet there are so many interlocked stories that sprout from this search. Jude, Desiree's daughter, inevitably sparked my interest with her lifelong journey of love and self-discovery.
Although I will refrain from revealing too much of the intrigue contained between the covers of this magnificent book, I will say that I was delighted to read a story that so effortlessly weaved its way through the intersecting identities of its characters: Black, White, trans, gay, and cis.
Bennett's care for these characters shines brightly on every subsequent page, and the attention that she paid to crafting such a satisfyingly connected, intergenerational exploration of identity formation was much more than I could have ever hoped to find.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Violence, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Transphobia, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Outing, and Sexual content
kateyhb's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
5.0
Gosh, this book will stick with me for a long time. A book about self-discovery, self-destruction, self-preservation, and the masks we all make for ourselves as we decide who we want to be to the world. At what point do you lose who you truly are behind the mask of who you desire to be?
This book is about loss, and the way people grieve the choices they make and the ones that are made for them. Family is family, but real, lasting love comes from relationships where both parties continue to choose each other each day. Chosen family can be blood too.
This book is about loss, and the way people grieve the choices they make and the ones that are made for them. Family is family, but real, lasting love comes from relationships where both parties continue to choose each other each day. Chosen family can be blood too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, and Violence
Minor: Sexual assault, Classism, and Dementia
marinnelilly's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Violence, Domestic abuse, Bullying, and Rape
mgeary2's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, and Transphobia
ekclar's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Murder, Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Terminal illness
Minor: Transphobia and Homophobia
latelygrace's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Violence, and Racism
Moderate: Sexual assault
yliana's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- 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
*big sigh*
characters I liked: jude, reese, desiree, early, barry
characters i didn't like: kennedy, blake (had to look his name up cuz i couldn't remember lmfao)
and i honestly am on the fence about Stella
i'm not gonna say too much about the plot itself. the ending fell flat to me but at the same time, endings don't have to be the craziest, most exciting thing you've ever read. i really wish that stella had at least gone to the funeral but realistically, she's been past any possiblity of truly going back to mallard for years. i really liked desiree, i thought her relationships with jude and early were very sweet, although i was totally worried after reading about her ex husband. i thought, "here we go again, making the dark skinned man the villain" but then we were introduced to early and he's such a good man imo, so i see early and sam as kind of that obvious fact that there are good and bad people everywhere yk? i mean, it should be obvious but clearly a lot of people don't think that way.
i was really surprised when we were introduced to Reese. I've heard a lot about this book since it came out but no one ever really talks about him. From a cis pov, i thought his character was treated fairly well. we were thankfully not subjected to any hate he might've received in his life for being trans. i was happy that we got to see his happiness with jude.
fuck stella's husband, he's a piece of shit. and honestly fuck kennedy too. she gave me bad vibes throughout every scene she's in. i couldn't stand when it was said that she would call her boyfriend the n word because he asked her to like what the actual fuck is that?! i also totally agreed with Stella when she was thinking about how bullshit it was that kennedy was given absolutely everything she could've ever needed and instead of taking advantage of her privileges and advantages, she just threw them away. it's one thing to be passionate about the arts and want to pursue acting and another to end up on ACADEMIC PROBATION when you have every possibility to just fucking make it through high school. especially when jude had to work her absolute ass off to reach medical school and started way, way below kennedy. I just really couldn't stand her and she never even ends up doing anything that she seems to find particularly fulfilling, we just see her be a selfish brat and then just continue being fake for the rest of her life. i'm 100% on the kennedy hate train tbh.
i did really like jude though. I thought it was really sweet and heartbreaking at the same time how desperate she was to find Stella, for both herself and desiree. her and reese are so good for each other and i love how supportive they are towards each other too.
stella...idk. i feel so bad for her because of the sexual harassment and abuse she dealt with when she was working for the Duponts. half of me understands her motives for choosing to live as a white woman but i really just can't get behind her hatred for Black people after she makes that decision. it just feels so icky to me that she was okay with leaving her family and ESPECIALLY desiree, who she very clearly had such a strong love for (i mean, they're twins). and i cannot for the life of me understand WHY she would marry her husband when she literally said she feels scared around him sometimes because he looks like the assholes who lynched her dad. like?!?! it was just really sad to see the way she internalized the racism that she witnessed in mallard so i have a hard time disliking her but i can't say that i like her very much either.
this book was just so so heavy. it was definitely good and i think it was well written but yeah just pretty sad. and honestly the trigger warnings list is gonna be so long.
characters I liked: jude, reese, desiree, early, barry
characters i didn't like: kennedy, blake (had to look his name up cuz i couldn't remember lmfao)
and i honestly am on the fence about Stella
i was really surprised when we were introduced to Reese. I've heard a lot about this book since it came out but no one ever really talks about him. From a cis pov, i thought his character was treated fairly well. we were thankfully not subjected to any hate he might've received in his life for being trans. i was happy that we got to see his happiness with jude.
fuck stella's husband, he's a piece of shit. and honestly fuck kennedy too. she gave me bad vibes throughout every scene she's in. i couldn't stand when it was said that she would call her boyfriend the n word because he asked her to like what the actual fuck is that?! i also totally agreed with Stella when she was thinking about how bullshit it was that kennedy was given absolutely everything she could've ever needed and instead of taking advantage of her privileges and advantages, she just threw them away. it's one thing to be passionate about the arts and want to pursue acting and another to end up on ACADEMIC PROBATION when you have every possibility to just fucking make it through high school. especially when jude had to work her absolute ass off to reach medical school and started way, way below kennedy. I just really couldn't stand her and she never even ends up doing anything that she seems to find particularly fulfilling, we just see her be a selfish brat and then just continue being fake for the rest of her life. i'm 100% on the kennedy hate train tbh.
i did really like jude though. I thought it was really sweet and heartbreaking at the same time how desperate she was to find Stella, for both herself and desiree. her and reese are so good for each other and i love how supportive they are towards each other too.
stella...idk. i feel so bad for her because of the sexual harassment and abuse she dealt with when she was working for the Duponts. half of me understands her motives for choosing to live as a white woman but i really just can't get behind her hatred for Black people after she makes that decision. it just feels so icky to me that she was okay with leaving her family and ESPECIALLY desiree, who she very clearly had such a strong love for (i mean, they're twins). and i cannot for the life of me understand WHY she would marry her husband when she literally said she feels scared around him sometimes because he looks like the assholes who lynched her dad. like?!?! it was just really sad to see the way she internalized the racism that she witnessed in mallard so i have a hard time disliking her but i can't say that i like her very much either.
this book was just so so heavy. it was definitely good and i think it was well written but yeah just pretty sad. and honestly the trigger warnings list is gonna be so long.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Racism, Physical abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Cursing, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, and Dementia
Minor: Sexual content, Deadnaming, and Violence