You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
This was an insane read. That being said I read it all in one day. I feel like I went in thinking it was a completely different premise but it literally is about a black woman who falls in love with a racist white man. A lot of authors try to tackle race in romantic relationships and majority miss the mark. This book falls in the category. The main character knows from the beginning his viewpoints and she does go through some character growth, but she still gets back together with him! And then they never speak again about all the issues! If anything this story is a cautionary tale. Love (the feeling of love) is not enough to sustain a relationship, unless you’re willing to cut pieces of yourself off in the process.
fast-paced
I have to believe this was satire in order to not go crazy.
A book about a couple that absolutely no one is rooting for.
I thought at the end Jess would finally stand up for herself and realize that 'love' doesn't conquer all, that you actually can't be with someone who votes and thinks like Josh does.
A book about a couple that absolutely no one is rooting for.
“love conquers all, except geography, and history, and contemporary sociopolitical reality.”
i don’t know if i’ve ever been so irked by a fictional interracial relationship like this, i started feeling like dr. umar.
in all seriousness, this book is very clearly dealing with the idea of the “big sort,” a term american sociologists termed in order to deal with the clustering of politically like minded folks together, and the lack of capability to understand and talk to each other in the current. world. rabess seems to be interrogating whether this is a good thing, with jess and josh. jess’ politics don’t seem to stem from any true critical thought, so much as well intentioned discourse and hot takes, whereas josh’s politics seem to stem from diehard neoliberalism.
i don’t know if i’ve ever been so irked by a fictional interracial relationship like this, i started feeling like dr. umar.
in all seriousness, this book is very clearly dealing with the idea of the “big sort,” a term american sociologists termed in order to deal with the clustering of politically like minded folks together, and the lack of capability to understand and talk to each other in the current. world. rabess seems to be interrogating whether this is a good thing, with jess and josh. jess’ politics don’t seem to stem from any true critical thought, so much as well intentioned discourse and hot takes, whereas josh’s politics seem to stem from diehard neoliberalism.
even before their inevitable blow up argument, they were constantly disagreeing on the foundation of societal ills. when jess would bring up any example of race/prejudice josh would immediately bring up the economy as some gotcha. but… the US was built on a system of RACIAL CAPITALISM. the labor, subjugation, and breeding of SLAVES to build the southern economy and further production in the north. 100 years of jim crow, chain gangs. modern mass incarceration and stagnant wages? there is no understanding of american political history without race at the center of it.
a lesser author would have made jess the moral center of the novel and josh a caricature, but luckily we see that jess is a deeply flawed person and josh is an underwhelming “villain.”
a lesser author would have made jess the moral center of the novel and josh a caricature, but luckily we see that jess is a deeply flawed person and josh is an underwhelming “villain.”
the last act of this kinda sold it for me tho. the discourse and the plethora of online campaigns that defined political life in the 2010s is exhausting. all jess wants to do is escape into where she can comfortably give/receive love—but it doesn’t work that way, the heaviness of politics are hanging over her. as she learns throughout the novel, you cannot outrun the things you’d rather forget. she can’t outrun the material differences between her and her partner. everything is not fine!
challenging
funny
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A Black woman at her first big girl job falls for a “likeable” Trump supporter who argued her down about affirmative action when they first met in college. No, really.
It’s a stretch to call this a love story, but it is a coming of age story including how Jess’s love blind relationship with Josh came to be. She was a mess and he was tolerable just enough to hook me. It’s like a trainwreck I couldn’t turn away from. This easily could’ve turned into some interracial dating foolery, but the author had enough skill and the plot had enough bite to give it nuance.
It’s a stretch to call this a love story, but it is a coming of age story including how Jess’s love blind relationship with Josh came to be. She was a mess and he was tolerable just enough to hook me. It’s like a trainwreck I couldn’t turn away from. This easily could’ve turned into some interracial dating foolery, but the author had enough skill and the plot had enough bite to give it nuance.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Cancer, Domestic abuse
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Regardless of the ending, I think it’s a story that needs to be explored given the current political division in America (and the world). It does not shy away from the ugly that divides them; in fact, they openly fight about it. I only wish that we could have seen BOTH sides come closer to the other politically (because that’s what happens in reality). Nevertheless, I like that the book ends on an open-ended, hopeful yet tragic note with the inauguration of Trump.
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was good, but I felt the ending was a bit rushed?? I feel it could have had a stronger development of Josh. I also feel it did a lot of woke tick boxing, when as someone who is a PoC in the finance industry it’s completely different now. Maybe in 2015/16 it was different
Loved. A great conversation about how to divide between you as an individual with your own independent beliefs but at the same time in love with someone who has vastly different opinions. Who may not fully realize the negatives from the other perspective because of their upbringings and personal experiences.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really liked this book. I would give it a higher rating but the ending was abrupt and I do feel like the story could have gone even deeper. I’ve never read anything like this. A story about 2’pwople who fall asleep n live despite being on the complete opposite ends of the ideological spectrum. Think far left and far right. But the author did a good job of finding common ground and making their similarities so compelling and real - like they are totally compatible except for the elephant in the room. I also think the synopsis is confusing, they marketed this book as a romance and it’s more a coming of age. I would recommend it ,
in fact I think it would be a great book club book. So much to unpack.
in fact I think it would be a great book club book. So much to unpack.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes