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sarah984's review against another edition
emotional
informative
medium-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? It's complicated
2.5
I really liked the idea of this book, but the execution was lacking for me.
First off, things I liked. It was interesting to see a YA where the main character has divorced parents who still have a decent relationship. Both parents were supportive in their own way and had interesting stories. I liked the idea of Alaine going to Haiti to understand her history, and the way the country and culture were described was great.
Things I didn't like: Alaine is supposed to be 17 but she's very immature and babyish so it makes her relationship with a "college boy" seem skeevier than it is. The idea of her including the flirty slack messages in her final project is absurd. The embezzlement plotline felt unnecessary and the culprit is the one person who acts suspiciously. The adults all have interesting stories that are barely delved into. Rosaline in particular is more plot device than person. The tone in general is a wild pendulum between silly teen antics and very serious subject matter (not just the mom’s Alzheimers but another character dies out of nowhere and this is handled in an absolutely bizarre manner). The whole family curse plotline felt kind of pointless (especially having so recently read <i>When You Trap a Tiger</i> which did this better) and I would have liked to see more of Alaine’s work with the Patron Pal app and kids instead.
First off, things I liked. It was interesting to see a YA where the main character has divorced parents who still have a decent relationship. Both parents were supportive in their own way and had interesting stories. I liked the idea of Alaine going to Haiti to understand her history, and the way the country and culture were described was great.
Things I didn't like: Alaine is supposed to be 17 but she's very immature and babyish so it makes her relationship with a "college boy" seem skeevier than it is. The idea of her including the flirty slack messages in her final project is absurd. The embezzlement plotline felt unnecessary and the culprit is the one person who acts suspiciously. The adults all have interesting stories that are barely delved into. Rosaline in particular is more plot device than person. The tone in general is a wild pendulum between silly teen antics and very serious subject matter
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia
Moderate: Child abuse, Classism, Death, Slavery, Bullying, Grief, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Terminal illness
Minor: Alcohol, Drug use, Medical content, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Rape, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, and Child death
amandalorianxo's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- 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
4.0
Merry Christmas Eve! 😍🎄 In all seriousness, I wanted to highlight this book not only because of the gorgeous cover and red backdrop but also the importance of having representation about countries that aren’t as saturated in the fiction world (ya or not.) This particular story takes places partially in my home state of Florida and also in Haiti where our MC Alaine goes for roughly two months after her private Catholic school lets her parents knows that the presentation she conducted did not turn out as proper as was assumed. We as readers get snippets of texts, letters, emails, phone calls and more so this isn’t written like a plain traditional novel. Alaine is seventeen and of course, is portrayed like any first generation American teenager whose immigrant family tells her she is going to the homeland- not thrilled in the slightest. But while on the island, Alaine learns a plethora of new discoveries about where she comes from and the pride that the people of Haiti have in being Haitian. There’s a little snip of a romance but that takes the backburn in favor of Alaine and her mother attempting to salvage an already weak standing relationship when Alaine discovers the ailement her mother is going through. I highly recommend this novel for those that are wanting to learn a little more about Haiti but want to start on the smaller scale. I also love the family relationships and how authentic everyone is as far as their personalities. @maikamoulite & @maritzamoulite keep it 100% real and I can’t wait to read more stories written by them !
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Grief
Minor: Sexual assault and Miscarriage
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