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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
challenging
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Alix and Kelly annoyed me but I get why they annoyed me. I’m glad Emira stood up for herself.
Under the mariachi music that suddenly seemed quite loud, Emira’s eyes went wide and her mouth twisted as if she’d found a hair in her food. Kelley went on.
This book is a minor miracle. It is light, breezy, and funny, while being simultaneously gripping and deeply distressing. Particularly for a white girl who, although she's mostly like the minor character Rachel, sees a bit too much Alix than she'd like to admit in her own personality. It's eye-opening, heartbreakingly real and mundane, and somehow a near-thriller based around microaggressions, turning on a dime from four girls in their 20s choreographing a nude ("'Wait Emira's better at this,' Zara tossed Emira the phone. 'I'll get down and hold your t*ts up, though.'") to a mother cyberstalking her babysitter, neglecting her work and children in the process.
On top of this, it is written just about masterfully. A critique of the saviour mentality between races and classes, the characters could've easily fallen into cookie cutter stereotypes. Kiley Reid deftly avoids this, while providing fluid, readable description and dialogue that gives you a perfect picture of the people and situations at hand.
SpoilerLike many others, I thought the ending broke Reid's carefully woven spell a bit. Everything suddenly becomes very, for lack of a better term, black and white. Emira and her friends get picture perfect ends - which, good for them, seriously - and Kelley and Alix fall unceremoniously into villain moulds, stripped of complexity. Just kind of feels like Reid ran out of space and underthought it.
This is a fun, nuanced, page-turning read, and an absolute slump killer. If you've been thinking about picking it up for a year like I have, do it now.
This book is a minor miracle. It is light, breezy, and funny, while being simultaneously gripping and deeply distressing. Particularly for a white girl who, although she's mostly like the minor character Rachel, sees a bit too much Alix than she'd like to admit in her own personality. It's eye-opening, heartbreakingly real and mundane, and somehow a near-thriller based around microaggressions, turning on a dime from four girls in their 20s choreographing a nude ("'Wait Emira's better at this,' Zara tossed Emira the phone. 'I'll get down and hold your t*ts up, though.'") to a mother cyberstalking her babysitter, neglecting her work and children in the process.
On top of this, it is written just about masterfully. A critique of the saviour mentality between races and classes, the characters could've easily fallen into cookie cutter stereotypes. Kiley Reid deftly avoids this, while providing fluid, readable description and dialogue that gives you a perfect picture of the people and situations at hand.
SpoilerLike many others, I thought the ending broke Reid's carefully woven spell a bit. Everything suddenly becomes very, for lack of a better term, black and white. Emira and her friends get picture perfect ends - which, good for them, seriously - and Kelley and Alix fall unceremoniously into villain moulds, stripped of complexity. Just kind of feels like Reid ran out of space and underthought it.
This is a fun, nuanced, page-turning read, and an absolute slump killer. If you've been thinking about picking it up for a year like I have, do it now.
I have so loved getting back into fun fiction over the past few weeks. These books make me care way more than the more critically-acclaimed, educational alternatives that I used to force myself to stick to. Even when these books are rife with cliches, unbelievable dialogue, and choppy sentences, they still hook you in to their world and leave you needing to finish the story. These fun books have reminded me why I love reading!!!! This book in particular deals with really interesting themes of race, class, and gender, through new lenses. It feels like you are in on a joke with the author, making fun of the self-centered white mom, even while reading the story through her perspective. This book, subtly and not-so-subtly, allows a way into so many important and timely discussions about these difficult topics while still being so fun and entertaining.
This book left me reflecting on the way “good intentioned” white folk can and are problematic without being aware of it… really examining how racism is deeply imbedded in our American culture. The story was gripping from page one and the character development was spot on for me.
challenging
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don't know what to think of this one. It had a lot of language I'm not used to, and I didn't know what to think of the main characters. I was confused most of the time, even when I was eager to read more.
medium-paced
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Interesting, quirky, a little odd, but overall enjoyable. Some really good points of discussion. Main character feels very realistic.
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No