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onefly's review
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
myeshatiara's review
4.0
Favorite Quote: “…Tracy set herself up for misery, searching for the perfect man, like her father, who walked away whenever he wanted.”
Reading about a well to do middle class black family in the 80’s is honestly refreshing to read until the power dynamics and domestic violence within the home brings us back to reality that all that glitters will never be gold and little Tracy is caught in the middle of it all as she tries to navigate growing up with her next door neighbor and best friend Ra-Ra and her sister, Mercedes. Tracy only has her mind set on one thing and that’s being the top Flyy-Girl but is she ready for what all comes with it? Ra-Ra on the other hand is the complete opposite of Tracy and she moves through life with a more cautious nature but will that yield her a different result than Tracy? Mercedes on the other hand is everything Tracy hopes to become, older, pretty, has the fly gear and the guys with status.
Reading about a well to do middle class black family in the 80’s is honestly refreshing to read until the power dynamics and domestic violence within the home brings us back to reality that all that glitters will never be gold and little Tracy is caught in the middle of it all as she tries to navigate growing up with her next door neighbor and best friend Ra-Ra and her sister, Mercedes. Tracy only has her mind set on one thing and that’s being the top Flyy-Girl but is she ready for what all comes with it? Ra-Ra on the other hand is the complete opposite of Tracy and she moves through life with a more cautious nature but will that yield her a different result than Tracy? Mercedes on the other hand is everything Tracy hopes to become, older, pretty, has the fly gear and the guys with status.
thestitchedpages's review
3.0
Reading this book was definitely the black girl rite of passage when I was growing up. However, reading this as an adult was a much different experience than reading this as a teen. Back then, this was the hot and spicy read we were passing around and now it feels dull. Tracy was hardheaded and those hormones were working overtime! Tracy thought she knew everything and didn’t know a damn thing, typical teenager stuff. I did enjoy her character development and growth towards the end and I actually want to read the sequel, For The Love of Money. I wish we would’ve gotten more of her college years breezed through some of the teen years. I swear for half the book she was in 8th grade.
This book is undeniably an urban fiction classic and I would probably recommend it to ages 16-20. It might be a bit harder to get through if you’re 25+ though.
This book is undeniably an urban fiction classic and I would probably recommend it to ages 16-20. It might be a bit harder to get through if you’re 25+ though.
itsawrapxx's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I read this book a while ago when I was maybe 14 or 15 and decided to listen to the audiobook this time around. I was just as engaged with the plot as I was back then, and my rating hasn't changed. I still didn't care for Tracy's character, but I sympathized with her a little more this time than I did then. I wish there were a little more to her character than just being focused on boys. Aside from Victor being her first, I could not see what made her love Victor the way she did. I also paid a lot more attention to her parents storyline this time around and Dave got on my nerves bad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Domestic abuse
sollyreads's review
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
So I give this book 2 stars. Reading it at 30 years old, was mainly for curiosity. In middle school I read “The Coldest Winter Ever” (which I would say, solely based off style is the better book) and I remember loving it. Flyy Girl mimics many of TCWE’s plot points and messages. The writing in this book was dull though, and I found myself only continuing to read to see what exactly was going to happen to Tracy. So it’s a bit complicated, because I kept reading but I wouldn’t say I was enjoying the process. One of the biggest flaws I have with the book though (this is 2022 me speaking) is the ending. There felt like some real strong hotep vibes and messages coming in at the conclusion of this book, that would make no sense for a female character who had been so free-spirited and unapologetic through her pre-teens and teens. (She literally called her college boyfriend nasty for performing oral sex on her, AFTER stating how amazing she felt from it 🙄). And somehow ends up defending her father who was absent from her life for most of her formative years???? Idk I hated the end of this book, and it made an otherwise okay coming of age story, go to complete shit . I felt like a lot of points were missed in developing an authentic female character. However, I won’t deny that to a younger audience of women, this book is likely captivating (in the same way that I’d probably hate TCWE if I read it today). So I applaud Mr. Tyree for this novel, I just don’t think it stands the test of time in the way some other novels have.
3littlewordz's review
4.0
I really loved this book! The black coming of age story that wasn't too outlandish.
jlpxoxo's review
1.0
i think i read this in 8th grade or maybe it was freshman year of high school. i just recall girls eating this up like it was candy. after having it recommended to be for the fiftieth time i borrowed it from a fellow classmate.
i was appalled and found it disturbing. i especially remember thinking about all of the girls that pushed it on me and i wondered if they liked it only for the shock value. i wondered if reading it made them feel cool. and then i wondered why i was friends with them.
mlech. pass.
i was appalled and found it disturbing. i especially remember thinking about all of the girls that pushed it on me and i wondered if they liked it only for the shock value. i wondered if reading it made them feel cool. and then i wondered why i was friends with them.
mlech. pass.
readwithlani's review
3.0
Reading this book again for the first time since 2015
3.5/5
Ok so I’ve finally finished and I honestly had no business reading this when I was 10/11. But now I’m older this definitely made me think about a lot more things than I did before.
3.5/5
Ok so I’ve finally finished and I honestly had no business reading this when I was 10/11. But now I’m older this definitely made me think about a lot more things than I did before.
tamikaloree's review
2.0
I remember reading this when I was in high school and I really liked it and read it in a couple of day's. I used to tell everybody that did not read to read this or "The coldest winter ever" to get them to start reading. My sister then read it and said it was not that good. So I read it again and in reading it I did not like it as much as I did as a teenager.