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bluberrybooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Death, Child abuse, Death of parent, Murder, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Medical content, Racism, and Pedophilia
Minor: Grief, Ableism, and Fatphobia
Adulterynefariousbee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Blood, Gore, Medical content, Murder, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Fatphobia, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Bullying, and Toxic relationship
abitbetterbooks's review
- 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? It's complicated
4.75
Plus, that ending! Whew!
Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Gore, and Murder
Minor: Fatphobia and Body shaming
annaclaire's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Murder, Blood, and Fatphobia
nojerama's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Car accident, Drug abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Mental illness, Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, Violence, Murder, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Domestic abuse, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Rape, and Stalking
dreamyari's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Racism and Fatphobia
nannahnannah's review against another edition
3.0
Representation:
characters are Nigerian (as is the author)
When Korede gets an SOS call from her sister one night, she knows it means one thing: this is the third time. The third time her sister has defended herself from yet another boyfriend who has attacked her. The third time her sister has stabbed someone, and Korede has been called in to clean up and dispose of the body. But this time, Korede can’t get the man out of her mind. He’d been stabbed in the back, and she can’t shake the feeling that just maybe … there’s something wrong with her sister.
Things get worse when the man Korede’s in love with at work falls for her sister. They start dating, and Korede’s afraid it’s only a matter of time before she’s cleaning up his body, too. But what should she do … stand by her her sister as she’s always done or betray her for the man she loves?
This book goes by incredibly fast. The pages are very thick, so it doesn’t actually have that many words. Basically, that makes the pace very quick, and there’s not a lot of time for rest or secondary character development (if at all, actually; secondary characters don’t really have roles to be honest). Not necessarily a bad thing, because the book is really all about the few mains.
The plot and the main characters are gripping, and held my attention all the way through. Though small, the book really doesn’t lose momentum at any spot, it just keeps on driving and gaining speed and drama till the end. So while I have some problems with it, there’s no doubt it’s a good story.
What bothered me though was some problems with tone. There was a very obvious disregard/dislike for sanitation workers and janitors. Korede hated literally Every janitor in the novel, and these workers were all, without exception, lazy and pretty much good-for-nothing people. In fact, Korede was unnecessarily judgemental of everyone, and once equated disability = ugliness, which was … not pleasant. There was also some fatphobia as well, because why not? I know some of this was because she also had some internal issues to figure out but … because that never happened, I was left just having to conclude 1). She was just that judgemental, or 2). This is the way the author herself thinks.
Anyway, it wasn’t a bad book, and I enjoyed most of it -- though that ending … it wasn’t very satisfying! It felt like the feeling when you watch one of those “acclaimed Hollywood films” that just leaves you feeling unsettled at the end -- but some “jokes” left me wanting to close the book for a bit just to get that foul taste out of my mouth.
Minor: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Ableism, and Classism
miandrade's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Fatphobia
booknerdbetty's review
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse and Fatphobia
Moderate: Murder, Death, and Death of parent
krys_kilz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Also the repeated fatphobic comments about weight and appearance really rubbed me the wrong way.
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Child abuse
Moderate: Blood and Domestic abuse
Minor: Fatphobia