Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley

11 reviews

anenome's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-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? No

4.5

This story was heartbreaking. Incredibly sad, it incites real anger, such an important story to tell.

It took me a while to warm to the narrator, I found her annoying for the first two chapters. Then I loved her, I've never missed a character so much when a book has ended, an original voice.

The ending was too abrupt and open for me. I didn't like Ale, she was a weak friend and always got a free pass for abandoning Kiara.

Between the dark parts of the book there's a lot of humour, it feels balanced.

If there was more to Kiara's story I would read it in a heartbeat.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Misogyny, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Abandonment, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Police brutality, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Stalking, Trafficking, Sexual harassment, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, and Rape

Moderate: Vomit, Racism, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Blood, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Medical content

kaimetcalfe's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Police brutality, Rape, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Child death, Drug abuse, Trafficking, Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Suicide, Body horror, Sexual harassment, Violence, Drug use, Alcohol, Bullying, Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Blood, Transphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and Alcoholism

Minor: Mental illness, Gore, Terminal illness, Grief, Vomit, and Confinement

tarnya_smith's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

This book has many trigger warnings so please check those first. 

I really enjoyed this book. The narrator on audio did a great job. Tackles the brutality of cops with the black community, especially black women. This was dark, this was raw, gave me insight into America, PoC's lived experiences, the law and cops, the life of a sex worker, many things I've never read before. It was very well told, honest but with emotion. 

Despite the mess she got caught up in, I was just routing for Kiara the entire time hoping it got better for her. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Drug use, Physical abuse, Racism, Hate crime, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Self harm, Sexual assault, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Police brutality, Trafficking, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Rape

bambooboy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Transphobia, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Cursing, Death of parent, Drug use, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Classism, Blood, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, Vomit, Colonisation, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Violence

brookesbooks18's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Literally traumatising 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicide, Child death, Abandonment, and Police brutality

melissa_francesca's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Rape, Suicide attempt, Drug use, Physical abuse, and Sexual violence

geraldinerowe's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

An extraordinary novel from an author still in her teens. It does an excellent job of demonstrating how the powerless in society are pushed into making what the rest of us would consider "bad" decisions, which ultimately keep them powerless. A very moving novel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality

Moderate: Sexual assault, Self harm, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Classism, Sexual violence, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Death of parent

myinfinitetbr's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

Wow. What an absolute gut punch of a book. But while it’s emotionally devastating, it's also got moments of quiet hope and beauty that shines through. To say it's incredibly written is a supreme understatement.

Nightcrawling is a confronting and powerful story of classism and racism; the cycles of systemic oppression; the brutality and exploitation that exists in police forces and the justice system.

Told through Kiara’s day to day life and her determination to keep her family together, to survive in a system set up for failure, her viewpoint was all at once with childlike innocence and way beyond her years.

Heartachingly intense. I started this one on my kindle and had to take a break, knowing I would come back to it soon. It stuck with me for two months until I finally finished it on audio. And still, I struggle to find words to do it justice.

Mottley was 17 when she began writing this book, and 19 when it was published. It's her debut novel and it's been longlisted for the Booker Prize. I will be reading everything she puts out into the world.

Phenomenal. Just read it.

Thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for the e-arc and PRH Audio for the gifted audiobook. All opinions are my own

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, and Addiction

Moderate: Child death, Physical abuse, and Drug abuse

travelseatsreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

Nightcrawling takes us into the life of 17 year old Kiara (Ki) whose world is crumbling down around her. Her father has died, her mother is in a halfway house, she's jobless, she lives in a high rent hovel, her brother has zero notions of pitching in and she's caring for her addict neighbour's little boy, Trevor. Despite all her attempts at keeping her head above water she becomes involved in a world of sordid abuse and manipulation by a group of police officers who coercively control her as an underage 'nightcrawler'.

The novel is absolutely devastatingly gripping from the very first page. Immediately, it's obvious Kiara is in an awful situation and the urge is to wrap up her up and take her from this devastation. Mottley writes so well that there's an immediate emotional connection and investment with Kiara and you can't help but want to run in and rescue her.

Leila doesn't shy away from the nasty, gritty and graphic reality of this case. And honestly that's one of the most frightening parts, that this story is based on true events which occured in the Oakland area. Leila allows us to see into a world overflowing with poverty, abuse, police brutality and incredible injustice. Not only does she allows us to catch a glimpse of this world, she is so authentic and faithful in her writing that it is hard not to feel the fear and desperation seep from the pages. 

It's hard to imagine that such a well written, gripping and important book is a debut novel but even harder to imagine that Leila began writing Nightcrawling just before her 17th birthday. I was completely consumed by every page and am very excited to see what's to come next from the wonder that is Leila Mottley.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Suicide attempt, Rape, Police brutality, Misogyny, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Violence, Physical abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Confinement, Trafficking, Sexual content, Sexism, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, and Self harm

abrunettereads's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Drug use, and Racism