Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

What's Mine and Yours by Naima Coster

13 reviews

jamiejanae_6's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Hate crime, Infidelity, Medical content, Murder, Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Racism, Bullying, Infertility, and Sexual content

beklovesbooks's review against another edition

challenging emotional

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

Really interesting non-linear format of moving forward and backward in time sometimes by decades other times by a month and each time changing whose perspective the story is being told from while overlapping in someway with the other storytellers and stories. It would have been helpful to start a timeline and list of characters at the beginning.

Overall a pretty depressing book as people are constantly using one another, tolerating neglect, and there’s just so much graphic emphasis on sex!

Interesting perspective of poverty, race, and generational trauma. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Drug use, and Sexual content

Moderate: Death of parent, Gun violence, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Infertility, Bullying, Classism, Xenophobia, Abortion, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, and Racism

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Trafficking, Vomit, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Murder, Pregnancy, Slavery, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship

kimveach's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• 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

This was a good story with interesting characters.  However, I didn't like the back and forth between timelines.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Death of parent

Moderate: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Cancer, Classism, Death, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Miscarriage, Murder, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Addiction, Car accident, Grief, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Blood, Drug use, Abortion, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Infertility, and Sexual content

ktdakotareads's review against another edition

reflective medium-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Grief, Cancer, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Racism, Addiction, Cursing, Death of parent, and Medical content

Minor: Abortion, Violence, and Gun violence

ladygetslit's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-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

4.25

This book isn’t really about the integration of a school in the early 2000s. It’s more about the messy nature of human beings, who are so often selfish, prejudiced, anxious, and ignorant. 

I wanted to rate this higher, because the writing was good, and I appreciate what Naima Coster accomplished with this book. Unfortunately, I just didn’t feel connected to the characters. Everyone in this book is some kind of asshole, and even though I can understand why, it just kept me from really feeling for them. I think if the story had focused only on Noelle and Gee, I would’ve been able to settle in more. As it is, the story follows so many different people and I didn’t have the time to feel connected to their story enough to be invested in the outcomes. 

I would still recommend this book, because I think it does a good job of exploring the experience of being biracial, of being on the outside of something looking in. It just didn’t pack the emotional punch I wanted it to.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Racism, and Infidelity

Moderate: Drug abuse, Addiction, Cancer, Death of parent, and Miscarriage

Minor: Abortion, Sexual content, Racial slurs, Panic attacks/disorders, and Murder

mackenziem12's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death of parent, Death, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Infertility, Racism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, and Cancer

ekmook's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Death of parent, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Gun violence, Infertility, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Racism, and Toxic relationship

katsbooks's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-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

4.0

“She hadn’t needed lectures or coddling; most girls didn’t. The needed choices.” 

 

“She was an ignorant woman, dangerous. Another woman’s child was laid up in the hospital, and all that she could see was the imagined threat to her own.” 

 

“It was too easy for people to see their interests and disinterests as pure, functions of their desires and personalities.” 

 

“Maybe this was another way that she was white: the ease with which she could ignore calamity, focus mainly on what she wanted.” 

 
“She wanted Gee to know this music was for him, that irreverence and rage weren’t just for white boys."

 “Go to your bosom; Knock there, and ask your heart what it doth know.”

I must be getting old because this is one of those books that I would never been able to enjoy five years ago. It is so realistic. The characters feel raw and real. They're lovable, yet utterly fallible. I felt like I was reading a memoir; that's how realistic it was. Following that vein, it also meant that there wasn't necessarily a big reveal or climax per se. I was honestly stunned when I turned the final page because I felt like it could just keep going and going. I think the reason this book was really compelling to me is because it explores so many of the subtle nuances of racism, even when it's internalized. It wasn't portrayed as this character fault that is eventually triumphed over. I could see pieces of the Ventura girls, and especially Lacey May in so many of my own relatives. This is the type of book that could be read in a classroom. There are so many layers. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Abortion, Cursing, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Medical content, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

bookmaddie's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.0

I felt really close to this story, since it took place where I grew up. The setting, characters—it all felt so familiar, Coster captures it perfectly. 

The beginning of this story is heartbreaking. It really hit me, and provided necessary context for the rest of the story, which weaves back and forth in time and between characters. While this structure was a bit confusing at times, Coster did a great job of making each section count. Sometimes a character is only followed for short periods, yet you really get to know each person deeply. Each personality radiated across the page, and it was really fascinating to see how individual decisions impacted their lives across time (and across families).

This story centers around the integration of a high school in North Carolina in the early 2000s, so there is a heavy focus on racism and classism. Even when people deny that their actions are fueled by racism (lmao this rlly reminded me of conversations I've had at home w family), Coster makes it crystal clear how racism is fuels people's actions and words. Reading about Gee and his friends trying to fit in at a (previously) all-white high school was really powerful and affecting.

What I found most unexpected was the beautiful focus on family and finding your own path in life. Because this story covers such a long period of time, you are able to zoom out and realize the circular nature that life can take at times.

Even though I felt really close to this story, it hasn't stuck with me the way I thought it might. I think it's a really impactful read and would encourage anyone to give it a read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Gun violence, and Murder

Moderate: Cancer, Racial slurs, and Racism

soobooksalot's review

emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

4.0

What's Mine And Yours is a memorable story spanning many characters, families and timeframes. 
 Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and Hachette Books for my gifted copy for review!
 The book opens with a chapter that is as touching and hopeful as it is heartbreaking. 
 Each chapter alternates in differing decades, tacked by mother characters Jade and Lacey May, their partners, and children.
 It took me a bit with each chapter to orient to which timeframe and age group the characters would be in, but it's an evenly-paced book regardless. 
 Each character's life challenges and resulting choices are laid out in a straightforward, relatable and most readable manner. Elements of social class, race, the treatment of women, addiction, reproductive expectations, relationships and family dynamics weave the events together. A nice reveal toward the end pulls all the threads together. 
 For fans of well-written, character-driven novels, this newest offering from author Naima Coster is recommended!
 Released on March 2.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent and Murder

Minor: Abortion, Addiction, Cancer, and Miscarriage