Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

Luster by Raven Leilani

77 reviews

vrcreads's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Racism, Grief, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Suicide, Blood, Sexual content, Miscarriage, Police brutality, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Death of parent, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Drug use, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal death, Car accident, Adult/minor relationship, Racial slurs, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Vomit

writtenontheflyleaves's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

 Luster by Raven Leilani 🏠
🌟🌟🌟🌟

🏠 The plot: Edie is just scraping by. She's coasting in a dead-end job at an all-white office, having unfulfilling encounters with men, and she's barely doing the thing she really loves, painting. Starting an affair with an older man soon takes an unexpected turn as she moves in with his family: his (kind of intense) wife and adopted black daughter.

I went into this read knowing that it has a divisive main character, and I can kind of see why. Edie's narration is depressive and one-note for much of the novel, especially in the first half, and she is wilfully self-destructive in her relationships. Reading it directly after another book with a mentally struggling main character, I did find it very heavy reading at times.

However, as the novel unfolded I thought the style of narration was very clever, and I found that the connection I formed to Edie was more interesting because of her more complex motives. Particularly as she developed a friendship with her lover's adoptive daughter - and tried to teach her things that her white parents had neglected to - I thought the way she opened up to the reader was really powerful.

To be honest, I suspect a lot of the discomfort around this book - mainly, it has to be said, from white reviewers - comes from the fact that Edie is scathing of white spaces and the behaviour demanded from her to assimilate into them. The book also draws a clear connection between this generalised hostility and police violence. It's a really powerful novel, especially for a debut(!!) so don't let the "unlikeable narrator" label from many reviews put you off!

🏠 Read it if you liked My Year of Rest and Relaxation or if you like unflinching portrayals of difficult relationships, grief, racism, and depression.

🚫 Avoid it if you're avoiding scenes of police violence, sexual violence, and workplace discrimination.
 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Police brutality, Racism, and Sexual content

Moderate: Racial slurs, Death of parent, and Mental illness

Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcoholism, and Addiction

kasey_'s review against another edition

dark funny tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Addiction, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Death of parent, Drug use, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Miscarriage

Minor: Police brutality and Pregnancy

jazlynreads's review against another edition

emotional tense fast-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abortion and Addiction

Minor: Addiction and Abortion

astridrc's review against another edition

challenging tense medium-paced

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

2.5

I didn't even know which boxes to tick for this review. It was compelling but I didn't fully get what was happening at times. It gets weird and too messy at times, so it was hard to relate. All of the characters are in serious need of therapy.
Also, I read the translated to Spanish version and I think that didn't help either. Latin American readers, we need something that lets us know if the translation is from Spain. I swear it's truly painful at times. Ironically, it's definitely harder than reading in English which is not my mother tongue.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Miscarriage, Addiction, Racism, and Toxic relationship

laurenkimoto's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

A complex disaster of a women living her complex disaster of a life 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Classism, Gaslighting, Drug use, Eating disorder, Racism, Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Body shaming, Death of parent, Gun violence, Medical content, Miscarriage, Police brutality, Self harm, and Toxic relationship

angel_kiiss's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-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

5.0

Now I understand what people mean when they feel seen by another human being. This woman is both the girl I hate and my best friend. A girl who probably hates me but I do anything I can to impress her. 
Out of all the “unhinged” women I’ve read, Edie feels the most real; she’s layered and complex, a nice girl and sometimes horrible person, she’s lovable but that is hidden beneath her antagonistic flaws. 

Who hasn’t found themselves in love with someone before they realize it wasn’t ever really love. Who hasn’t been struck by the reality of a person only after you’ve dug yourself six feet for them. 

I can’t believe this was a debit novel. Very few books have moved me this much, and even fewer gripped me like this from beginning to end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Police brutality, Medical content, Alcoholism, Blood, Dysphoria, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Abortion, Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Medical trauma

Minor: Animal death, Racism, and Mental illness

elise_allberry's review against another edition

emotional 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Miscarriage, and Infidelity

Moderate: Addiction, Abortion, Drug use, Racism, and Sexual violence

oneinamili's review against another edition

dark funny reflective medium-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion and Addiction

Moderate: Physical abuse and Emotional abuse

Minor: Death of parent, Eating disorder, Violence, and Suicide

rustyreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

I was expecting a steamy romance with a little bit of family drama thrown in, but what I got was one of the most important books I've read in my life. It feels like Raven Leilani wrote this book for me. 

Luster is about the profound loneliness of being a young black woman and how other people can often make us feel even more alone. 

Please check out the trigger warnings before picking this up! There was a lot that I was not expecting. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Addiction, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Medical content, and Suicide