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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
DNF. I enjoyed the first part of the story, when Alaine was in the US. Really liked learning about her relationship with her parents.
It all fell apart for me once she got to Haïti. I felt it needed some serious editing, as the storytelling, especially the sisters' story became labourious.
The modern day story of Alaine, her aunt etc. just fell flat for me and felt frivolous. I put this book down in July 2021, and have had zero desire to pick it up again.
It all fell apart for me once she got to Haïti. I felt it needed some serious editing, as the storytelling, especially the sisters' story became labourious.
The modern day story of Alaine, her aunt etc. just fell flat for me and felt frivolous. I put this book down in July 2021, and have had zero desire to pick it up again.
When an incident at her school gets Alaine almost suspended, she is told to go back to her country and complete a internship at her aunt's non-profit organization. Its called PATRONAL, which is an app created to help fund children in need in Haiti. While in Haiti she's able to learn more about her country, and of course develop a cute crush on one of the interns. The book is full of lots of Haitian history and culture(I would've liked if this also talked about beautiful areas in Haiti). She learned quite a bit of her family history as well....especially when there's a curse involved.
Follow Alaine as she takes you through her island, and some rather heart wrenching moments, especially those involved with her mom. I think it's so important to see how she dealt with her moms dementia. That was honestly one of my fave parts of the story (not in a messed up way). Another great thing about this novel is that it's written by two sisters. Kudos to Maika and Maritza Mountie. You created a beautiful story full of representation. Thank You to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I definitely need a copy of it on my shelf.
Follow Alaine as she takes you through her island, and some rather heart wrenching moments, especially those involved with her mom. I think it's so important to see how she dealt with her moms dementia. That was honestly one of my fave parts of the story (not in a messed up way). Another great thing about this novel is that it's written by two sisters. Kudos to Maika and Maritza Mountie. You created a beautiful story full of representation. Thank You to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I definitely need a copy of it on my shelf.
This was one of those time where reading the e-book (and the ARC) didn’t do this book any favors. All the font changes and lack of spacing/chapters/punctuation made me feel lost and frustrated.
This book seemed very discombobulates anyway, though. I’m not quite sure what the point was... that Alaine didn’t know anything about her Haitian heritage or about her mother/her mother’s family/her mother’s family’s curse?
Alaine was a well-written character, though. Very quick-whittled and smart. I liked her best friend and her best friend’s family- their dynamic seemed very cute. And I know Alaine just wanted to be close to her mom because it was her mom and that’s how it goes, but her mom kind of sucked and I didn’t really care about their relationship at all.
Mostly, though, this book was just confusing and unorganized. I hope the final print copy is heavily edited. The general concept is young and fun, and could make for an excellent YA novel, but this ARC is not up to snuff.
This book seemed very discombobulates anyway, though. I’m not quite sure what the point was... that Alaine didn’t know anything about her Haitian heritage or about her mother/her mother’s family/her mother’s family’s curse?
Alaine was a well-written character, though. Very quick-whittled and smart. I liked her best friend and her best friend’s family- their dynamic seemed very cute. And I know Alaine just wanted to be close to her mom because it was her mom and that’s how it goes, but her mom kind of sucked and I didn’t really care about their relationship at all.
Mostly, though, this book was just confusing and unorganized. I hope the final print copy is heavily edited. The general concept is young and fun, and could make for an excellent YA novel, but this ARC is not up to snuff.
emotional
informative
tense
slow-paced
It's really hard to say this, but I did not care this book. It was really difficult to complete. I don't DNF but I almost had to let this one go. I going it frustrating that half this book is in the form of emails, text and chat conversation. Thoughts and conversation were left incomplete. The story jumped everywhere. I was really hoping to like it.
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
two thumbs up
As a Caribbean native, I enjoyed reading about commonalities within our culture and learning the distinct differences that belong solely to Haiti.
Praying Haiti lives on
As a Caribbean native, I enjoyed reading about commonalities within our culture and learning the distinct differences that belong solely to Haiti.
Praying Haiti lives on
My gripes with this
1. Alaine is immature and juvenile and a little delusional
2. Her mother and every female character is a b*tch
3. Way too much was going on and ended too conveniently
1. Alaine is immature and juvenile and a little delusional
2. Her mother and every female character is a b*tch
3. Way too much was going on and ended too conveniently
I received an eArc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
NetGalley eArcs are hit-or-miss on formatting, and this one was a clear miss. It's especially disappointing because, as a mixed media book, consistency between the different types of correspondence (via Twitter, emails, journal entries, and more) is important. I wish I had waited and gotten a physical copy of the book to fully appreciate this.
I also debated whether the formatting or the content of the book was the reason for my rating (2.5 stars). I was really looking forward to reading this book and learning more about Haiti from authors who have experienced it, and the book delivered on that. I also appreciated Alaine's snark, though it was grating at times, and I enjoyed reading her mother's diary. Unfortunately, the book deviates from exploring the relationships between Alaine and her relatives (namely, her mother) in favor of scattered side plots--including a family curse--and the inclusion of multimedia correspondence from peripheral characters.
NetGalley eArcs are hit-or-miss on formatting, and this one was a clear miss. It's especially disappointing because, as a mixed media book, consistency between the different types of correspondence (via Twitter, emails, journal entries, and more) is important. I wish I had waited and gotten a physical copy of the book to fully appreciate this.
I also debated whether the formatting or the content of the book was the reason for my rating (2.5 stars). I was really looking forward to reading this book and learning more about Haiti from authors who have experienced it, and the book delivered on that. I also appreciated Alaine's snark, though it was grating at times, and I enjoyed reading her mother's diary. Unfortunately, the book deviates from exploring the relationships between Alaine and her relatives (namely, her mother) in favor of scattered side plots--including a family curse--and the inclusion of multimedia correspondence from peripheral characters.
lighthearted
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