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keeshabroad's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The story is definitely an important one and I learnt a lot about life in Nigeria for queer individuals but I just couldn't get into the story.
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Homophobia, Incest, Sexual assault, and Grief
bookishfaye's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
Be warned, it is absolutely riddled with very uncomfortable incest.
TW: *Graphic and on page depictions* Incest, Rape, SA, non-consensual sexual encounters, violent homophobia/transphobia, violent hateful depictions of extreme hateful religion, death, mourning a loved one
*not on page, but mentioned* transphobic lynching
Graphic: Deadnaming, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
gizelleinak's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Blood
lucystolethesky's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Transphobia, and Grief
Moderate: Incest, Infertility, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
greenpearls'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Incest, Sexual content, Transphobia, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual assault, Violence, Sexual harassment, and War
Minor: Hate crime, Mental illness, and Death of parent
_bestie'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? It's complicated
4.0
Somewhere, you see, in the river of time, I am already alive.”
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Homophobia, Incest, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Dysphoria
shirleykm'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? N/A
3.75
Was vivek’s condition triggered by them having to hide who they are?
Gosh this book was giving sex sex sex
Graphic: Sexual assault
namisareads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This is the first book i've read by Akwaeke Emezi. her writing is absolutely wonderful with gorgeous images that immerse you in the story, with details being released big by bit and the change in time peroids wihich brought more depth to the story since we got deeper looks and the characters past and how their past could have shaped them into the people they are in the present. I quite enjoyed the fact that she changed the way she wrote the perspectives, 3rd person for side characters and 1st person for the 2 MCs, although i do wish we have more POVs for the 2 MCs
We know right away that Vivek dies, but the way the author writes him with such intricacies and love that you can’t help but hope that he’ll survive after all
my biggest issue with the story is the fact that Vivek and Osita are related like i honestly cannot get past that 😪 i wish the author could have at least made them best friends(e.g. Osita was they next door neighbor or he was one of the Niger wives sons) this is the reason why it's not a 5 ⭐️ although it came close
Graphic: Homophobia, Incest, and Sexual assault
callme_tippy'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
2.0
I so wish that the two main characters were not related. I found the incest storyline very off-putting. It made it impossible for me to feel happy about their "love story", it just feels traumatizing and wrong.
This story could have been beautiful and heartbreaking had the love interests not been so closely related. I feel that the incest doesn't add anything to the story and actually takes away from it. I would have felt more connected to the characters, and rooted for them had they not been related. It would have been so easy to make Osita a best friend instead of a first cousin. A first cousin that was raised as Viveks brother and that he often calls brother.
I am baffled why Akwaeke chose this dynamic. It makes me wary to read more of their work.
I also find it weird to make a trans character that has some type of mental illness going on, also be in an incestuous relationship. Not that it is right, but people already view trans people as taboo and wrong, so I find it strange to add a taboo and strange relationship to the mix. I don't know, something about that feels weird to me.
We don't get any insight, information, or answer about what what type of mental illness going on with Vivek. She has these black outs that get brought up but not explained which I found frustrating. I wanted to know what that was about and why she has no recollection of these episodes.
This book was just not it for me. I liked Vivek the most out all the characters, but I really had no favorites, the cast of characters was interesting to say the least.
1 star for good writing, 1 star for well fleshed out characters. The incest ruined this one for me. I so wish they made the simple change to make them best friends instead of first cousins, I just could not connect.
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Grief, Abandonment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
atelarico'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
4.75
Graphic: Homophobia and Incest
Minor: Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Blood, and Grief