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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
«If you come softly» is in many ways a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet. That was how it was pitched to me, anyway. The family drama is switched out with race - Miah is biracial, and Ellie is jewish. When they walk through NYC together, people will ask Ellie if she’s ok, if that man is bothering her. And even though she knows she should speak up, Ellie can’t bring herself to introduce Miah to her parents - what if their reaction is the wrong one?
The language in this book is poetic and beautiful. I’ve read so much bad YA this past year, that it was incredibly refreshing to start off the year reading something great. I don’t think I would have ever picked this up if it hadn’t been for the Life’s Library book club, so thanks, John. I don’t think i’ll read the companion piece, purely because I feel like this book ends just where it needs to - with a tight grip on my heart strings. But I’ll put it on my shelf and revisit it the next time I’m unsure about what I should do in a similar situation, the way I do with certain other books. I would therefore warmly recommend this to anyone, no matter their situation, because as a white male, this book really did open my eyes to what the world can be like, even if it’s 20 years old.
The language in this book is poetic and beautiful. I’ve read so much bad YA this past year, that it was incredibly refreshing to start off the year reading something great. I don’t think I would have ever picked this up if it hadn’t been for the Life’s Library book club, so thanks, John. I don’t think i’ll read the companion piece, purely because I feel like this book ends just where it needs to - with a tight grip on my heart strings. But I’ll put it on my shelf and revisit it the next time I’m unsure about what I should do in a similar situation, the way I do with certain other books. I would therefore warmly recommend this to anyone, no matter their situation, because as a white male, this book really did open my eyes to what the world can be like, even if it’s 20 years old.
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
sad
fast-paced
I’ve come to really love Woodson’s writing. She tackles incredibly tough subjects in such a beautiful way and explores Black culture beautifully. I previously read adult fiction by her, it was nice to read something more YA based from her. She does both really well and while I’m not a huge fan of YA romance I will absolutely make an exception for this story. The mix of Black and Jewish cultures was really interesting and actually made me learn a lot and I really appreciated that. My only minor complaint is that there was so much build up to the love story and then it felt like the story was suddenly cut short and I was like wait, all that build up and it just ends?! I just wanted more, I was so drawn in and it just wasn’t enough to satisfy me. But that aside it was such a stunning and heartbreaking story, it actually brought tears to my eyes towards the end and that’s a rare occasion for me when reading. Read this book, it will make you learn and grow and feel beautiful things!
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Racism
Moderate: Police brutality, Abandonment
Unfortunately still relevant for today. This was excellent and a nice quick yet devastating read
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Wooooowwwww...how I have never read this book?!?!?! This book was SO good and everyone should read it. I'm not a huge romance lover, but gosh this was just so sweet and adorable and I absolutely loved it! The themes of young love and interracial relationships, and being a Black man in America, and family dynamics, and so much more were so well done and so easily integrated into a short book. When I saw the length of the audio I never thought the book would get as deep or as into the characters as it did, but this book was complex and the themes and lessons that came through were deep and profound and just so impactful.
The author has said that this is a Romeo and Juliet retelling and I knew that and saw a lot of nods to that throughout the book. Even knowing this going in, the ending absolutely gutted me and I did not see it coming until it was on top of me. The way grief was summed up and displayed in about 10 minutes at the end of this book was phenomenal. If you've also somehow missed this book for the past 22 years like I had, please go read it asap!!
The author has said that this is a Romeo and Juliet retelling and I knew that and saw a lot of nods to that throughout the book. Even knowing this going in, the ending absolutely gutted me and I did not see it coming until it was on top of me. The way grief was summed up and displayed in about 10 minutes at the end of this book was phenomenal. If you've also somehow missed this book for the past 22 years like I had, please go read it asap!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Violence
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Listen, this is a strong 2.5 but like,,, this book was just to short for it to impact me in any way and I feel like it would’ve hit harder/have more of a lasting impression if it was at least 200 pages