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katieproctorbooks's review
5.0
This book was fanTAStic. The story is rough and raw and emotional but I loved the different characters and their different perspectives. Even the one from a certain building. The writing is gorgeous too—and a debut!
cheesehead_reader's review
4.0
Secrets, of all sorts, lie at the heart of this great debut. Who did what... Who knows what... And who is left in the dark. And all these secrets bind together our cast of characters from one church on Chicago's southside.
andrearbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West was a powerful piece on generational trauma. This type of trauma is something I've recently learned about and to further learn about through such an emotional read was powerful. The story begins with Ruby's mother being murdered. Her best friend Layla wants to be there for her as best she can, but she encounters some pushback on this from her father. This is particularly surprising given her father is a pastor. What then follows is an exploration of the stories and experiences that led everyone in the story to the place they now are. Some of this is told in the present, but the true power and revelations come in the stories from the past. Various narrators share their perspectives and pain. Of all the narrators, I actually found the most powerful one to be the physical church building. It was very much an "if these walls could talk" reveal, and there was much to reveal. This is an emotional story of the continued impact of secrets and trauma through relationships and years. Thanks to NetGalley for the look at this recent release!
mrsmisko's review
dark
mysterious
medium-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? Yes
4.0
kidneynerd's review against another edition
4.0
I highly and thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters are real and the descriptions of events vivid. The setting is in Chicago south side. The descriptions of gentrified neighborhoods versus impoverished neighborhoods side by side were real life. The cycle of violence within generations also range very true. I highly recommend this book.
carrielion143's review against another edition
2.0
Ruby King's mother has just been murdered. Ruby found the body. Ruby's best friend, Layla is determined to save her friend from the violence that surrounds her family. Layla has her own complicated life as the pastor's daughter. I like books that are set in the traditional black church community as it is a window into a culture different from my own but I feel this was done better with Brit Bennett's "The Mothers" or Jacqueline Woodson's "Red at the Bone". The story spent too much time on Layla, who was kept in the dark about most of the secrets in the book. This made her feel juvenile and uninteresting. ⭐⭐
ryanjb86's review against another edition
4.0
A powerful and amazing debut by a talented writer. When Ruby King's mother is murdered in her home in Chicago's South Side it is dismissed as just another act of violence in a predominantly black neighborhood. But for Ruby it now means living alone with her violent father. Her best friend Laylah aims to help Ruby, but her father, a local pastor and old friend of Ruby's father, warns Laylah to stay away, thereby testing the strength of the girls' friendship.
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Told from various perspectives (including the church building where Laylah's father is pastor), this story captures so many aspects of the Black experience in America. It also deals with domestic violence, death, crime and punishment, love, family, friendship and secrets.
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A real page turner!
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Told from various perspectives (including the church building where Laylah's father is pastor), this story captures so many aspects of the Black experience in America. It also deals with domestic violence, death, crime and punishment, love, family, friendship and secrets.
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A real page turner!
mugginsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Betrayal, trauma, racism, family secrets, abuse, murder, and friendship this book has it all.
Saving Ruby King takes us on an emotional journey set in South Chicago. During this journey we meet multiple POVs, which can seem a little overwhelming at times, but West does an fantastic job giving them each their own voice, their own piece to the puzzle. Shes able to tie them together in a way that makes them a necessity to the story being told.
I will admit that I found this book to be a little slow at times, but I think it needs to be. If it was a fast paced twisty thrill ride I don't think it would have worked as well. In the end this book was the perfect pace. Sometimes its nice to allow a book to tell you the story, to let it really sink in.
I really enjoyed this novel. I have a hard time believing this was Catherines Adel West's debut novel.
Saving Ruby King takes us on an emotional journey set in South Chicago. During this journey we meet multiple POVs, which can seem a little overwhelming at times, but West does an fantastic job giving them each their own voice, their own piece to the puzzle. Shes able to tie them together in a way that makes them a necessity to the story being told.
I will admit that I found this book to be a little slow at times, but I think it needs to be. If it was a fast paced twisty thrill ride I don't think it would have worked as well. In the end this book was the perfect pace. Sometimes its nice to allow a book to tell you the story, to let it really sink in.
I really enjoyed this novel. I have a hard time believing this was Catherines Adel West's debut novel.
dai2daireader's review against another edition
5.0
SavingRubyKing by @cawest329 was amazing! The characters were all-engrossing and the story was SO deep (thank goodness for the family tree in the beginning of the book that I kept referring back to)! At times I was mad, then heartbreaken then mad again! Such a great book!