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hey_itskey's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
thedemonisstoredinthelegs's review
abandoned at 20%. picked this up for the high school book club i technically lead. i just don't want to read a story set during the pandemic right now.
bethtate's review
4.0
Based in Portland, Oregon, this story follows a young black man who is accused of a crime he didn’t commit, his relationships with friends and family, and the injustice of the justice system. The novel is timely, with references to a terrible president, Covid and the shutdowns, George Floyd and the protests in Portland.
anotherashleystbr's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, and Racism
lorilibrarian's review
emotional
informative
tense
slow-paced
- 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? It's complicated
3.0
aprilbooksandwine's review
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? It's complicated
5.0
jay8deez's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
melissaspt's review
5.0
HIGHLY recommend!! Really really good book that covered a big portion of life and all the shared trauma during Covid for high school kids, the George Floyd murder, and the unfair treatment of minority Americans by law enforcement. It also touched on life for kids in foster care and life in Portland during the BLM protests.
skyee_18's review against another edition
4.5
Wow. I’m rating this 4.5 stars for now but this honestly might be a 5 star read for me!! I went into this book fully blind so I was shocked and blown away by so many aspects of this story. First, the setting being during the pandemic brought up so many emotions & memories of how horrible the country was at that time. I think the effects of COVID were integrated seamlessly into this plot line and added a lot of depth to the issues discussed. The story was centered around systemic racism, police brutality, etc & touched on other important issues (some are spoilers)!! The mystery aspect truly had me hooked and the ending caught me SO off guard! This was beautifully done and I have nothing bad to say!!
evamadera1's review
5.0
Kim Johnson did it again. This story packed a punch and will definitely live for quite a while in my head. In this story, Andre, a high school senior, tries to make it day to day starting with serving the punishment for a crime he did not commit to quickly including the rapid descent into Covid lockdowns during the most uncertain times while living with his grandparents but without his mother, a nurse who lives separately to attempt to protect the family. This part evoked a lot of emotion in me as I remembered a student I taught that year who lost her father because of Covid. As the weeks progress in the narrative, Andre now has to deal with the response to the murder of George Floyd and all that came along with it. Living in the incredibly white city of Portland, Oregon, Andre makes a profound statement about the fact that his neighborhood now has more Black Lives Matter signs than Black people. That will stick with me for a while. Johnson also weaves in a fictionalized version of the tragic story behind a photograph of a Black boy hugging a police officer at a protest in 2014. Four years later the boy, also named Andre, his adoptive moms and their entire family died when one of the moms purposefully drove their van off of a cliff. Clearly, all of this feels like a lot yet Johnson manages to show how people like Andre live these things all the time, that "normal" life often feels incredibly heavy. This book holds so much taht even with all the words I have spent on this review, I feel like I cannot adequately express all my thoughts about this book.