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haileyhardcover's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
While I was reading, I wondered if maybe there was something I was missing. Some context that I, as a white woman, could not understand that made this book - its plot and especially its characters - better than I was perceiving them to be. After finishing it and looking up reviews written by Black women, I think my gut instinct was right. This book reads like it was written by an “OBG.”
I will not comment further on the lived experience of the characters or real Black women. I encourage you to read reviews written by Black readers, especially Black women, if you’d like more thoughts on that.
I will say more about the writing, though. This book is rough. It’s slooooooow going, and then all of the action takes place in the last 50 or so pages. I can see what the author was going for with the ending, but it didn’t hit the way I believe she intended. I think 60% of the first 300 pages could have been cut entirely, and the ending would’ve made a great mid-point, leading up to the rising action and either a MORE shocking climax or a more triumphant one. Comparing this to The Devil Wears Prada (as a quote from The Washington Post does on the cover) is inaccurate and bizarre - the only similarity is that the fmc is an assistant, but her circumstances, the industry, her boss, everything else is completely different from TDWP. I think a better comparison would be to Jordon Peele’s Get Out - there is even a reference to the sunken place in the book. You’re gettjng conspiracy, evil white people, suspicious substances, altered states… it could’ve been SO. GOOD. But sadly, it’s just not.
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Bullying and Gaslighting
Minor: Gun violence, Hate crime, Police brutality, Cursing, and Murder
kayceeisbookish's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Moderate: Police brutality, Racial slurs, Bullying, Cursing, and Racism
sonygaystation's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Racism, and Stalking
Moderate: Police brutality
Minor: Alcohol, Racial slurs, Colonisation, and Cursing
nialiversuch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Racism, Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, Grief, Cultural appropriation, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Alcohol, Bullying, Cursing, and Misogyny
parasolcrafter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Classism, Gun violence, Gaslighting, Racism, Toxic friendship, and Cursing
cassielaj's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
However, by the time things really felt like they were ramping up, it was ending.
Graphic: Racism and Gaslighting
Moderate: Police brutality, Racial slurs, and Cursing