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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
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
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was a heartbreaking, entertaining, and uplifting story. Ike and Buddy Lee were incredible main characters. I really enjoyed the plot and all the crazy things that happened…did not like how much the guys “sucked at their teeth” though. 🤣
I went into this book with high expectations because of the glowing reviews and the fact I got it from book of the month, but I simply was not impressed. With that being said, I believe that I’m not the target audience for this book, but appreciate what it might do for someone who is the desired reader.
To start, I think one of my main problems with this book was the writing. It was paragraph after paragraph of simple sentences, most of which were unnecessary. This is not from the book, but at times it literally read like this: “Ike walked out the door. He turned around and locked the door. He walked to his truck. He got in and turned it on. It felt hot so he turned on the AC”. Along with this, the entire book was sprinkled with typos, ones that were not intentional slang or incorrect grammar from characters. Typos are not uncommon, but I felt like I saw more than usual in this one.
Aside from the writing, I was not attached to the story or characters in a significant way. I liked Ike and Buddy Lee’s characters. I thought they had a great character arc, but I did not have an attachment to them. I enjoyed Tangerine and wished she were included more throughout the book. The mystery of tangerine was really more interesting than anything else in the book and is what kept me reading. There really was not element of suspense or surprise. From pretty much the beginning of Ike and Buddy Lee’s investigation, the reader is aware that a gang murdered their sons. By the time it’s revealed that Gerald is the guy calling the shots, I kind of didn’t care by that point. I wasn’t shocked.
This book also tackles issues like racism and homophobia, issues that the main characters struggle with themselves. I appreciated the growth in both Ike and Buddy Lee. Being from South Georgia and gay, I know many men who think like them. Their mindset at the start of the book is the mindset of the majority. When I began the book and a character would speak in support of queer and black people, the information felt regurgitated. The things they said were things I’ve heard since I was 13 years old. I judged it at first because of this. I thought to myself “this isn’t new information, this should just be known at this point”. But after reading (and realizing not everything is made with me and my knowledge in mind) I appreciate the effort to possibly regurgitate the same basic ideas of social issues for the sake of educating those who might not be at the point I am in their education. This book felt specifically written for those that think like Ike and Buddy Lee, and might strike a chord in them that nothing else has. With that being said, I did not enjoy how Cosby decided to tackle some of these issues. For instance, the scene that left a bad taste in my mouth was when Ike beat up the man in the gay bar. I understand this might be how straight people feel when they are approached by a same-sex suitor, but as a queer person it was uncomfortable to read about someone being in a queer safe space and inciting violence because they are queer. But, I have read many books where violence against queer characters is a major factor of the story line and loved them. I think the difference here was it was just laughed off in a way. Every time it was mentioned it was waved off with a “Typical Ike!”. Yes, this is a slight exaggeration, but this scene still gave me an ick that I couldn’t get rid of unfortunately. Also, I can’t not mention the sentence “His chest was tighter than a virgin’s pussy”. Gag.
Anyway, I’m glad other people enjoyed it, but it was just not for me.
To start, I think one of my main problems with this book was the writing. It was paragraph after paragraph of simple sentences, most of which were unnecessary. This is not from the book, but at times it literally read like this: “Ike walked out the door. He turned around and locked the door. He walked to his truck. He got in and turned it on. It felt hot so he turned on the AC”. Along with this, the entire book was sprinkled with typos, ones that were not intentional slang or incorrect grammar from characters. Typos are not uncommon, but I felt like I saw more than usual in this one.
Aside from the writing, I was not attached to the story or characters in a significant way. I liked Ike and Buddy Lee’s characters. I thought they had a great character arc, but I did not have an attachment to them. I enjoyed Tangerine and wished she were included more throughout the book. The mystery of tangerine was really more interesting than anything else in the book and is what kept me reading. There really was not element of suspense or surprise. From pretty much the beginning of Ike and Buddy Lee’s investigation, the reader is aware that a gang murdered their sons. By the time it’s revealed that Gerald is the guy calling the shots, I kind of didn’t care by that point. I wasn’t shocked.
This book also tackles issues like racism and homophobia, issues that the main characters struggle with themselves. I appreciated the growth in both Ike and Buddy Lee. Being from South Georgia and gay, I know many men who think like them. Their mindset at the start of the book is the mindset of the majority. When I began the book and a character would speak in support of queer and black people, the information felt regurgitated. The things they said were things I’ve heard since I was 13 years old. I judged it at first because of this. I thought to myself “this isn’t new information, this should just be known at this point”. But after reading (and realizing not everything is made with me and my knowledge in mind) I appreciate the effort to possibly regurgitate the same basic ideas of social issues for the sake of educating those who might not be at the point I am in their education. This book felt specifically written for those that think like Ike and Buddy Lee, and might strike a chord in them that nothing else has. With that being said, I did not enjoy how Cosby decided to tackle some of these issues. For instance, the scene that left a bad taste in my mouth was when Ike beat up the man in the gay bar. I understand this might be how straight people feel when they are approached by a same-sex suitor, but as a queer person it was uncomfortable to read about someone being in a queer safe space and inciting violence because they are queer. But, I have read many books where violence against queer characters is a major factor of the story line and loved them. I think the difference here was it was just laughed off in a way. Every time it was mentioned it was waved off with a “Typical Ike!”. Yes, this is a slight exaggeration, but this scene still gave me an ick that I couldn’t get rid of unfortunately. Also, I can’t not mention the sentence “His chest was tighter than a virgin’s pussy”. Gag.
Anyway, I’m glad other people enjoyed it, but it was just not for me.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-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
Be gay do crime!
This book is.. okay. I wasn’t a big fan of the writing style. A lot of times, a scene would be really good, and just when I was getting immersed in the story, the author would take a step back and EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE UNDERSTANDING ABOUT THE SCENE. Like some authors are all tell, no show, but this author is doing show AND tell, and it’s really annoying because if he just let the story be what it is instead of stopping the story to tell the readers what they’re supposed to be feeling, the writing would be sm better.
I also found myself disagreeing w his assessment of the story at times. Like, that scene where Ike fights a guy at the gay club? I don’t care if I’m out at a club, you don’t get to put your hands on me after I tell your no. And it’s even WORSE for Ike bc he has sexual trauma from his time in prison. Yeah, he overreacted, but still.
This story is also frustrating because the character arcs don’t really feel earned, particularly Ike’s relationship with his granddaughter.
And this sucks to say, because I know the author only did this to try and be respectful to LGBTQ people, but sometimes the main characters don’t talk like real people, they talk like they’re shooting off bulletin points from a list of how to be a good ally. Like, you’re telling me Mya barely knows the word “ally,” but a page later she says, “(Tangerine) is presenting as a woman. She seems to be living life as a woman. So she is a woman.” It sounds OOC for her to be so familiar with the trans experience, yet also barely know what an ally is. There’s also a part where Ike calls a girl “Latinx,” and that term doesn’t sound right coming from him. It’s too modern and “PC.” It’s weird because the author is clearly comfortable with having characters say offensive dialogue, yet he also seems to feel compelled to throw in modern, more acceptable language that just doesn’t suit the characters he’s writing about.
The plot is also weak at points. Ike and Buddy are able to find and kidnap Gerald’s dad way too easily imo. They make a big point about Ike and Buddy using Google to find his address, and how surprising it is that two old men know how to use Google, but that’s another moment that feels unearned. Maybe if there had been a scene where Jazzy told Ike he needed to come into the 21st century and learn to use technology, this scene would have been more impactful. Technology could have been a symbol for Ike and Buddy embracing modern times and adapting beyond what they thought they were comfortable with. But instead we just get a scene of them easily finding and breaking into a wealthy person’s house using only Google.
I loved the side characters in this story, and I wish we got to see more of them, especially Mya. Her sadness around raising Isiah alone made me tear up, and we only got two pages that delved into her feelings.
The ending is cathartic. Ike’s final conversation with Det. LaPlata is so satisfying. And it’s nice to hear about how all the characters come together as a family by the end. If only they could have done that for Isiah and Derek when they were alive. I do wish we’d gotten a scene at the end of the book that stressed that neither Isiah nor Derek would have likely wanted their dads to go on the war path, and in some ways, doing so was just another way Ike and Buddy failed them. Even when they won, they lost because Isiah and Derek were still dead, and they still couldn’t be the fathers either of their sons would have wanted them to be. I guess I wish that somehow, Isiah and Derek could have had the final word. Yes, they’re dead, and in some ways they function more as the inciting incident for this story than as characters in their own right, but I wish they had gotten to be more.
This book is.. okay. I wasn’t a big fan of the writing style. A lot of times, a scene would be really good, and just when I was getting immersed in the story, the author would take a step back and EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE UNDERSTANDING ABOUT THE SCENE. Like some authors are all tell, no show, but this author is doing show AND tell, and it’s really annoying because if he just let the story be what it is instead of stopping the story to tell the readers what they’re supposed to be feeling, the writing would be sm better.
I also found myself disagreeing w his assessment of the story at times. Like,
This story is also frustrating because the character arcs don’t really feel earned, particularly Ike’s relationship with his granddaughter.
And this sucks to say, because I know the author only did this to try and be respectful to LGBTQ people, but sometimes the main characters don’t talk like real people, they talk like they’re shooting off bulletin points from a list of how to be a good ally.
The plot is also weak at points.
I loved the side characters in this story, and I wish we got to see more of them, especially Mya. Her sadness around raising Isiah alone made me tear up, and we only got two pages that delved into her feelings.
The ending is cathartic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
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
It’s a sad read but a good one. Part mystery, part thriller, part family drama and redemption
dark
emotional
hopeful
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