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javafenn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Drug use, Toxic relationship, Death, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Classism, Domestic abuse, Medical content, Physical abuse, Addiction, Sexual content, Alcohol, Death of parent, Grief, and Infidelity
amandalorianxo's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Moderate: Death of parent, Medical content, Death, and Grief
Minor: Alcohol, Infidelity, and Pregnancy
onmalsshelf's review against another edition
- 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
2.0
Dava Shastri has ulterior motives.
Dava Shasri is a horrible person.
Dava Shastri's last day was too long.
Dava Shastri did not raise a single decent person.
Dava Shastri traumatized her grandchildren.
Interesting premise that did not deliver. Too many unlikeable people and no one to cheer for except maybe a son-in-law, Colin, and the four grandkids.
Dava basically gathered her family at their family compound to find how what the world would say about her death, but she ended up finding out what her kids thought about her and her actions when they were younger.
For a character driven novel - there was zero character development for anyone minus Dava (and that wasn’t even that great).
I do recommend the audiobook. Soneela Nankani was fantastic and I’d love to dive into other audiobooks she’s done. Plus, there was the song ‘Dava’ at the end.
Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent, Homophobia, Infidelity, Grief, Biphobia, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Alcoholism
caseythereader's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Death, Emotional abuse, Cancer, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Terminal illness, Cursing, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, and Sexual content
sagebrush_'s review against another edition
- 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
The audiobook includes a performance of the fictional song Dava by Tom Buck.
Consider skipping this book if:
-you greatly prefer plot driven books
-you don’t have patience for a lot of characters and backstories
-you really don’t care to hear about the emotional troubles of millionaires
Graphic: Cancer and Death of parent
Moderate: Infidelity and Medical content
leahrosiee's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Infidelity, Cancer, Terminal illness, and Suicide
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Pregnancy
bookswithsoumi's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Pregnancy
soobooksalot's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for my gifted copy for review.
Dava Shastri is one of the richest women in the world, having carved out a name for herself in the music tech world. She is a well-known philanthropist and holds her share of secrets from her storied life.
Her five children and extended family gather for Christmas at her estate on her private island, and are presented with news - Dava is dying of a brain tumour and the public announcement of her death precedes her actual death.
She wishes to control not only how she passes, but how the world presents information about her from past and present.
Readers are treated to the portrait of this unique and strong woman of colour, in a story with tinges of humour and many a pop culture reference. It's of a life lived, a life about to be lost, and a legacy left.
The one element I didn't quite feel was necessary was the setting of the story in the year 2044.
Regardless, debut author Kirthana Ramisetti has created a detailed, well-crafted world of characters. I look forward to reading her future work. Recommended!
Released on Nov. 30.
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Infidelity, and Medical content
spinesinaline'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
3.75
This one has been comped to Crazy Rich Asians and while I’ve only watched the movie, not read the book, I could immediately see the connections. An incredibly rich family and the son’s new partner who’s introduced into their world. However, the ‘newcomer’ is not the main focus of the story here, which I appreciated not only because it would be too similar. Here, the title character is the most important one in the story to watch as we learn her patterns, beliefs, and failures.
The switch between multiple perspectives was a surprise at first but it does give us a good understanding of each family member. The family has more problems to deal with at the moment than usual and seeing the way that each of them reacts to the news, along with the additional context we gain from their 3rd person narration, makes for a much more well-rounded cast of characters.
From the blurb and in my initial reading, I started to expect more of an The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo vibe, especially as each of the main characters are high-profile celebrities, enjoying for the most part the fame that their careers have brought them. I found it interesting that the author has a media and pop culture background as I’m sure that informed the way she wrote her main character.
Unfortunately, there weren’t the same thrilling reveals in Dava. I thought we’d get big surprising reveals, especially based on the blurb, but the book is instead a quieter family drama and it is emotional if predictable.
I did enjoy following this family even if I could see where it was going and it makes for a great holiday read (though it’s sad!) as it all takes place around Christmas in the middle of a snowstorm.
Graphic: Cancer, Grief, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Sexual content
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Physical abuse