Scan barcode
ethemcd2023's review against another edition
4.0
This book was a WILD ride. Even though the last chapters tied up many loose ends, I still came away with more questions - about morality, race, and manipulation - than answers, but I think that's a good thing. Reid does a fantastic job of showcasing the grey areas in her characters' relationships and personalities. It's incredible how much I as a reader ended up sympathizing with the bad gal (and also bad, but less bad??, guy). Really well-written and a fascinating story. Thank you, Kiley Reid!
audmartinez14's review against another edition
1.0
I debated shelving this book halfway through. Highly disappointed.
tiredjellyfish's review against another edition
5.0
“I just think it would be best if we went our separate ways and that those paths never like came back together” absolutely ended me amongst other things this was a good one
shelbitedeschi's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-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
5.0
valerieee's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
The characters had their charming moments but the plot and development didn't really work for me.
nahret's review against another edition
4.0
Oh, where to begin... It's been a wild ride. This book is about the kind of racism that might look like it's "not so bad", but in the end, it's still racism.
Emira is a black woman in her twenties who babysits at a white woman's house. Alix is the kind of white woman we know from the left side of the political spectrum: she determinedly, painfully, embarrassingly, tries to be woke. In this fashion, Emira becomes a status symbol of Alix being the right kind of white person. Who, coincidentally, can also tell who all the wrong kind of white people are.
The story did an excellent job of keeping my feelings around Alix ambiguous. Did I like her? Not really. But she tries so hard! Yes, desperately hard. That's the entire problem, of course. Emira is in the position all of us (PoC, and especially WoC) find ourselves, where we have to manage the feelings and egos of the white people around us. The book drives home how white poeple view Emira not as an individual, but as the representative of her demographic, with all the symbolism and pathos that goes with that.
Now, the book treats all of these topics with the necessary gravity, but also with a lot of humour. All of the characters are really well-drawn and feel substantial. Special shout-out to the author for her ability to generate a child character I actively liked. As the reader, you also get to roll your eyes a lot, for all the reasons that feel good. So, highly recommended!
Emira is a black woman in her twenties who babysits at a white woman's house. Alix is the kind of white woman we know from the left side of the political spectrum: she determinedly, painfully, embarrassingly, tries to be woke. In this fashion, Emira becomes a status symbol of Alix being the right kind of white person. Who, coincidentally, can also tell who all the wrong kind of white people are.
The story did an excellent job of keeping my feelings around Alix ambiguous. Did I like her? Not really. But she tries so hard! Yes, desperately hard. That's the entire problem, of course. Emira is in the position all of us (PoC, and especially WoC) find ourselves, where we have to manage the feelings and egos of the white people around us. The book drives home how white poeple view Emira not as an individual, but as the representative of her demographic, with all the symbolism and pathos that goes with that.
Now, the book treats all of these topics with the necessary gravity, but also with a lot of humour. All of the characters are really well-drawn and feel substantial. Special shout-out to the author for her ability to generate a child character I actively liked. As the reader, you also get to roll your eyes a lot, for all the reasons that feel good. So, highly recommended!
amyrose23's review against another edition
funny
reflective
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
jordynjohnson's review against another edition
reflective
medium-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
2.75
This book deals with important issues surrounding racism and privilege, however I felt that the plot seemed so trivial. Maybe that was the point of the book - showing how pervasive racism and privilege is in mundane situations but it just didn’t hit for me. I couldn’t understand why Alix was so obsessed with Kelley after over a decade and her infatuation with Emira was just too much. 2.75⭐️ for me because I really wanted to like it but it just fell flat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
essentiallynovel's review against another edition
1.0
This book could have been so much more than what it turned out to be. I didn’t care for Alix’s obsession with Emira (literally, the character even thinks of their relationship as if she’s “courting” Emira) and the Kelley storyline was at times (in my opinion) disturbing. The dialogue was weak, the racial stereotypes were ridiculous and even offensive (but not in a good, eye-opening way, just plain offensive as if the author wanted to only write them as their stereotype), had no character development and each were petty, and there was no need for the excessive amount of harsh profanity that plagues this hyped-up novel. There were moments throughout that felt completely uncalled for and didn’t matter to the story (like the random moment when a mom is talking about her son and his opinions on penises), and the ending was abrupt and rushed.
I pushed myself to finish, having almost DNF’d several times, barely hoping the ending would be worth it, but no. If I could give it a 0 I would.
Rating:
L:5, S:3, V:2
I pushed myself to finish, having almost DNF’d several times, barely hoping the ending would be worth it, but no. If I could give it a 0 I would.
Rating:
L:5, S:3, V:2
kellichupp's review against another edition
3.0
A story about two women of two different classes and two different races, who share a common love interest at two different ages. The conflict around race and class were informative and thought provoking. I’m rating as 3 stars because it just took a long time to get to the meat of the story.