Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

18 reviews

bex_knighthunterbooks's review against another edition

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dark funny tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I picked this up on a whim, and am so glad I did! This felt vey original - a morbid family drama set in Nigeria that is both funny and dark. It was very readable with short chapters, entertaining writing, and I was never sure what would happen next. The situation and characters did frustrate me often, but I think that was the intention of the author given the family dynamic is so toxic, so that is not necessarily a bad thing! I liked that the perspective was the put-upon sister of a serial killer, where we can see her enabling behaviour and also how trapped she is. I also liked the way the book criticises how often we allow pretty privilege to blind us to someone's flaws.
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nicole_schmid's review against another edition

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dark reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book has a very intriguing concept, written neither in the POV of the serial killer nor the detective trying to stop them, but the killer's sister. We follow her struggles as she is torn between helping her baby sister and giving justice to her victims, especially considering that her newest victim is someone she herself is interested in.
The ending was a bit predictable, I found, but enough doubt was shed onto the conclusion that I was not completely sure. Refreshingly, this is not a cheesy romance movie ending where everything ends well and everyone is happy.
The protective big sister remains as such, choosing her family and moral code over justice and the man she loves.

Overall, I do not think this book is especially outstanding (excepting the fact that it is set in an African country without being about racism, colonialism or the aftereffects thereof), but I quite enjoyed it and it was a quick and engaging read.
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avishajain's review against another edition

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adventurous dark fast-paced
  • 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

2.0

Was really expecting much more from this book, it ended up being kinda bleh. I was expecting it to be funny, it was anything but. Don't bother reading it.
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moiralyle's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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chichio's review against another edition

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dark funny tense fast-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

5.0

OBSESSED WITH THIS BOOK. HONESTLY.

Such an interesting take on sisterhood because it uses a serial killer and her sister to explore an, otherwise, common theme of sibling rivalry as well as the sibling solidarity that exists alongside it. 

Loved how drastically different both Korede and Ayoola were and how they were both revealed to be terribly flawed in completely different ways. 

This was a really fast paced read with punchy, short chapters and an overall plot that had me hooked from the very beginning. Had elements of dark humour dotted throughout that had be laughing/smiling despite the crimes that had happened just two pages prior. 
 
Will hold a special place in my heart… especially because it’s based in Nigeria❤️🤌🏾
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lydiavsbooks's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny tense fast-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

5.0

Wow I loved this! I expected this to be good but nothing special but wow I was wrong. Read this entirely in one afternoon, I didn't even put it down long enough to get a bookmark. For such a short and genuinely funny book it covered themes of toxic families, abuse, enabling etc brilliantly. I loved being in Korede's head with all of her struggles and questionable decisions 
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terrixvr's review against another edition

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mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.25

The plot was a bit predictable but i enjoyed the character of the older sister. I also like the flashbacks, they added some much needed context. 
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emmagreenwood's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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