Reviews with content warning for Rape - Black Girl Unlimited

Full of strength & heart, with stylistic similarities to Elizabeth Acevedo. Brown's largely autobiographical, fantasy-infused YA novel, about rising from poverty & trauma (with whimsy intact & keen intersectional insight), is at its most effective when she weaves her voice in with the speeches of other characters, alternating fluidly between perspectives & timelines. I've noticed that most of the criticism of this book is *because of* these shifts...but they were honestly my favorite part. I think they were done well and clearly.

The author's choice to write in the first-person, present-tense, however, did not work for me. It felt too straight-forward & matter-of-fact for a story that held so much poetic promise. I think this choice also made the telling feel long-winded (I did this, then I did this, then I did this...) when, at 304 pages, it really wasn't that lengthy at all. The years of Echo's life felt long. I felt like I lived each of her days along with her, minute by minute. And I felt like I knew too much about each of the people she encountered, too (which is maybe how it felt to *live* those struggle-filled days in a gossipy, close, & crowded neighborhood). I should also acknowledge that another part of why it felt so long was probably because of the tough subject matter. It's an unflinching portrayal of hard realities & it hurts.

I'm rounding up because I think the ideas propelling this narrative, in terms of both subject and form, are ambitious. They aren't executed perfectly but it's still hard-hitting, interesting, and emotional. I may have cried the most during the acknowledgments, to be honest, knowing that the story IS true & hugely personal (in a lot of ways), and listening to the author get choked up thanking the important people in her life (including herself). Expect to feel overwhelmed. It's a journey.

TW: Rape, sexual abuse, domestic abuse, drug abuse, suicidal ideation, & more. Very heavy. Very sad. But also hopeful.

I think this would be a great choice for a Book Club. There's A LOT to work through. I can guarantee that readers will want to talk not just about the story but about a lot of the decisions that the author made, as well (e.g. genre, ending, et al).

Content Warnings

alessandrasimmons's review

Go to review page

emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-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? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

infairveronaa's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

3.0

Echo's story started out really strong for me but it did slow up a bit and I can't say all the magical realism regarding wizardry flowed right with me the whole time. I did get a little teary eyed quite a bit though. Definitely a kind of coming of age story and I love the message this sends about Black womanhood as being it's own struggle on top of the struggle of being a Black American.

"You gotta fight. You got ta keep goin' ta keep it off ya. If ya keep goin', stay spirited and stay up, it'a stay away from ya, okay? It needs you to be sinkin' inside befo' it come around."
~April, Echo's mother

Content Warnings

letstalkaboutbooksbaybee's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

This is not a light book. It touches on so many heavy topics that the author has gone through.

Part memoir, part magical realism, Echo Brown weaves together her rough teenage experience with beautiful prose and hard life lessons. I struggled with the magical realism at first, but once I found my groove with it I felt it really enhanced the story more than a typical memoir would have.

I listened to the first half of this book narrated by the author herself and it was so incredibly well done. Thanks to Libro.fm for a free audiobook in exchange for a review.

TW: sexual assault and rape.

Content Warnings

lilythebibliophile's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-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

3.0

Content Warnings

More...