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wordsofclover's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.0
Nikisha, Danny, Lizzie, Dimple and Prynce all have the same thing in common - their dead-beat dad Cyril who was pretty good at making children but failed in every way imaginable when it came to actually being a dad. Despite hardly knowing each other, when Dimple gets into trouble and calls her big sister, all of her siblings come to her aid and for the first time, they feel like a family.
I really enjoyed this book - both the plot of the story and the twists and turns with Kyron and what he did and did not remember about the night he was rolled in a tarp and almost buried alive but mostly the dynamic and growing relationship between all the siblings. The book covers some more serious topics such as loneliness and the feelings of parental abandonment but also shows the special bond that can exist between family, even when that bond is discovered or nurtured later in life rather than in childhood.
I can't say Dimple was my favourite character to follow for the majority of the book as yes, she was pretty much a crybaby and tended to overdo her victim complex but I guess she was a good character to observe the others through particularly Lizzie and Nikisha whose personalities are so different to hers. I think my favourites were Danny and Prynce (mostly Danny for being a lovable soft boi)
I think I would have liked more chapters in the POV of the other siblings just to understand more what was going on inside their heads than always being in Dimple's which got slightly tedious at times as she repeated the same actions (videos, Roman, crying, poor me act etc).
There are some great scenes in this book and most characters have big personalities in different ways so I do feel like every character stood out but all the best scenes definitely had Cyril in them as he left chaos in his wake. From the way he talks to his baby mamas to how he uses his children for money yet at the same time often visibly struggles to connect with his children and you can tell he does want to but has no idea how and fears that rejection and failure - and not to mention when you find out about some elements of his life, it's hard not to feel a bit sorry for him.
I very much enjoy Candice Carty-Williams, and I think she will probably be an auto-read author for me.
I really enjoyed this book - both the plot of the story and the twists and turns with Kyron and what he did and did not remember about the night he was rolled in a tarp and almost buried alive but mostly the dynamic and growing relationship between all the siblings. The book covers some more serious topics such as loneliness and the feelings of parental abandonment but also shows the special bond that can exist between family, even when that bond is discovered or nurtured later in life rather than in childhood.
I can't say Dimple was my favourite character to follow for the majority of the book as yes, she was pretty much a crybaby and tended to overdo her victim complex but I guess she was a good character to observe the others through particularly Lizzie and Nikisha whose personalities are so different to hers. I think my favourites were Danny and Prynce (mostly Danny for being a lovable soft boi)
I think I would have liked more chapters in the POV of the other siblings just to understand more what was going on inside their heads than always being in Dimple's which got slightly tedious at times as she repeated the same actions (videos, Roman, crying, poor me act etc).
There are some great scenes in this book and most characters have big personalities in different ways so I do feel like every character stood out but all the best scenes definitely had Cyril in them as he left chaos in his wake. From the way he talks to his baby mamas to how he uses his children for money yet at the same time often visibly struggles to connect with his children and you can tell he does want to but has no idea how and fears that rejection and failure - and not to mention when you find out about some elements of his life, it's hard not to feel a bit sorry for him.
I very much enjoy Candice Carty-Williams, and I think she will probably be an auto-read author for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Domestic abuse and Death of parent
just_one_more_paige's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
reflective
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
4.0
I read Carty-Williams' debut novel, Queenie, a few years ago when it came out, and I really enjoyed the messy, genuine titular character. So this sophomore novel was on my Tbr longlist as soon as I heard about it. I was actually able to grab an ARC copy from my library's "up for grabs for staff" pile sometime last year and I've finally gotten to it.
Dimple is an adult, living with her mother, and trying to make a career as an influencer happen. She has five half-siblings that she mostly doesn't know at all. She met them once as a child and hasn't seen or spoken to them since. But, when a dramatic and terrifying interaction when her (ex) boyfriend leaves her in a tough spot, she calls her oldest half-sister, Nikisha, for help. Nikisha, in turn, calls the rest of the half-siblings (Danny, a plumber and single father, Lizzie, a medical student, and Prynce, Nikisha's full-brother who is still trying to figure things out) and together they converge on Dimple's flat in the middle of the night to help her sort things out. Because maybe they only have an absent father and abandonment issues in common, but at the end of their day, they share blood - and that's a thicker bond than anything else.
I was really not expecting the dark humor in the set-up of this novel to be so strong, but honestly, I found myself fully amused the entire time I was reading this. Carty-Williams manages to take a number of truly terrible themes, like murder, blackmail, mistreatment by the police, and a number of dysfunctional/dangerous family and relationship situations, and really make them...humorous. I feel like I've never actually read something that, literarily, so fully embodies both "dark" and "humor" as well as it was done here. Obviously, this is in large part down to Carty-Williams writing. But also, the plot set-up of five half siblings that have objective connections (blood), but no real subjective connections (inter-relational), yet are thrown into this high-drama situation together, absolutely lends itself to the humorous aspects of the story, with vibes of absurdity in the hilarity.
Also, once again, the author tackles the "messy new adult life" characters. Each one of the siblings was a bit of a mess, in their own way, and they are so genuine because of it. This was a fascinating comparison of how different people handle the same life circumstances, even when genetics are in common, because of the surroundings they've experienced. it really kept my attention both in interest and in entertainment. Plus, if you love sibling relationships, and I've mentioned before that I really have a soft spot for well-written sibling relationships, this book brings it hard with the “I’ll do anything for you but annoy the piss out of you while doing it” style interactions. And I could not get enough of that.
The ending was a bit transparent, as far as it paralleled back to the opening chapter, but it is also a satisfying literary circle-back as a finale. I don't really have too much else to say - this is a fairly succinct review for me - but don't take that to mean I didn't enjoy this. I was really into these characters, they were gorgeously human (flawed but full, and loveable in that), which seems to be a particular talent of Carty-Williams. And the story held some real depth and room for reflection and growth, while remaining a primarily fun and entertaining reading experience. This is definitely one I'll be recommending!
“But what if you felt like you didn't have a choice? [...] What if you did what you had to do because you were scared?”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Body shaming, Medical content, Racism, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Abandonment, Blood, Cursing, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse
d0505's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Blood, and Infidelity
Moderate: Kidnapping, Death of parent, Alcoholism, and Sexual harassment
milliemark's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Violence, and Body shaming
Minor: Alcoholism
agirlnamedellie's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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? Yes
4.5
My second read of Candice's and thoroughly enjoyed. Thought the character development and the growth of the relationship between the siblings was so lovely to read about. Loved the humour within this book too and liked that each sibling was very well fleshed out, with their own histories and personalities being very well thought out and individual, which is why I think I enjoyed it so much. Found the traits of the siblings father difficult to read at times as his behaviour mirrored my own estranged fathers when I was younger, but thats more of a personal feeling to me, but my feeling didn't tarnish how I felt about the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Body shaming, Death of parent, and Blood
michaelion's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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? Yes
3.75
TW // British
Very funny. As an only child who grew up with a somewhat absent father, and knowing the secondhand experience my friends had of being one of many children, this hit home. The book is very real in many ways.Dimple going off on Lizzie, then the next day everyone continuing on like nothing had happened. I imagine that's what it was like after I'd left my friend's houses. There's something about it I can't explain that I really connected to. Overall, though, the message about family hit my soft spot.
Very funny. As an only child who grew up with a somewhat absent father, and knowing the secondhand experience my friends had of being one of many children, this hit home. The book is very real in many ways.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Misogyny, Blood, Violence, Alcoholism, Fatphobia, Domestic abuse, Death, Death of parent, Sexual content, Abandonment, and Body shaming
Minor: Racism, Kidnapping, Murder, Torture, and Fire/Fire injury
laurataylor's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death, Sexual assault, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Death of parent, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, and Kidnapping
annalu's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Death, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Kidnapping
caseythereader's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
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? Yes
4.25
Thanks to Gallery Books for the free advance copy of this book.
- PEOPLE PERSON is one of those rare books that manages to explore some heavy and dark topics while being hilarious the entire way through.
- I'll not discuss the plot too much, as the bulk of the book centers around something not given away in the book summary - you just gotta read it to see!
- I adored the Pennington siblings, and being there with them while they tried to figure out how to be there for each other when they had grown up so differently (and yet so similarly, at the same time).
- Carty-Williams is just so great and giving her characters voices and lives that feel completely real. I'm a fan for life.
- PEOPLE PERSON is one of those rare books that manages to explore some heavy and dark topics while being hilarious the entire way through.
- I'll not discuss the plot too much, as the bulk of the book centers around something not given away in the book summary - you just gotta read it to see!
- I adored the Pennington siblings, and being there with them while they tried to figure out how to be there for each other when they had grown up so differently (and yet so similarly, at the same time).
- Carty-Williams is just so great and giving her characters voices and lives that feel completely real. I'm a fan for life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Fatphobia, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Violence, Cursing, Abandonment, Alcohol, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Kidnapping, and Sexual content
dorsetreader's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Drug use