Reviews

Rain City Lights by Marissa Harrison

emilys_reading_endeavors's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense 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

2.5

lucysmithyy's review against another edition

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challenging emotional slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

meganmsmart's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Won this in a story graph giveaway.

I overall liked it but the parts with Sasha and Tommy felt a bit queer-baity to me. I didn't really understand why Monti loved Sasha but all the characters are flawed in their own ways and the exploration of their flaws are a main theme of the book. I wouldn't say they were likeable, but they were human. 

I think the author has a lot of promise for any future works but maybe more care could be taken with LGBTQ+ identities and stuff. 

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botle's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I won a copy of this book in a Storygraph giveaway.

I thought this was going to be a dark murder mystery but it's more of a romance with a murder mystery side plot.  The pace is very slow - too slow, in my view.  Just trying get through it all took away from my enjoyment.

The imagery used to describe 1980's Seattle (where the book is set) the early grunge rock scene was vivid and emotive.  Definitely a highlight.

faerietrails's review against another edition

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I received this as an ARC from a Storygraph giveaway.

The writing felt uninspired; the scene transitions and dialogue were awkward and stilted. No motivation to finish.

mj_almquist's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The book had a slow start for me, but it ended up loving the story so much. This book was amazing!

sam_riccio's review against another edition

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4.0

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book is mostly a romance, with a hint of a murder mystery thrown in to keep it interesting.

Monti and Sasha grew up as neighbors in time it was even worse to be a person of color, gay, or a woman and Monti just happened to be two of these things by birth. They fall in love and neither really come to the conclusion that the other is also in love with them until everything has fallen apart around them and then long after that.

The good thing though, is that if you like the childhood-friends-to-lovers and mutual pining, slow-burn trope this book is really great for you!! It has all of that! There is a minor focus on music, and the rock 'n roll lifestyle.

I found myself easily reading this in about two days once I got past the first few chapters, really enjoying the side characters more than anything and wishing we got a little more urgency in solving the case surrounding the murders but I could have been satisfied with the story being just the romantic coming of age if need be.

Another thought that crossed my mind often is that this would be great if portrayed as a movie or a television series. Seattle has such a vibe about it that even if I don't like to sit down and watch TV often I would make a point to recommend this or watch it with someone else.

The trigger warnings for this listed by the author include; profanity, rape, suicide and death, and abuse.

I feel that she should include the use of slurs, homophobia, police brutality (chapter nine), and drugs. While some of these should be obvious for the time period and even with the events of today, a person can be caught off guard by seeing any of these things and after three pages I needed to take a break from this book and really mentally prepare for the rest.

thisthisandthis's review against another edition

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dark hopeful mysterious slow-paced

3.75

lozza's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced
  • 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? It's complicated

3.5

overlookingcovers's review against another edition

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3.0

First off, I want to thank Marissa Harrison and MTMC Tours for gifting me a copy of this book. I must admit, I don’t read many contemporaries or thrillers, but this book definitely screamed at me to give it a chance, and I am so glad it did! This book was emotional, and really offered a look into the lives of people suffering with drug addiction, poverty, racism, and homophobia. Our main character, Monti, is incredibly strong and passionate about her family and friend Sasha. I felt like out of all the characters we were introduced to, I connected to her the most. She desperately sought ways to help her mom and she hated accepting any sort of charity. Her need to help her mom was fueled more by the rising of a murderer that sought out black prostitutes, and she feared her mother could be next. This book really makes you question everyone that Monti comes into contact with. Are they the murderer?