Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - Silver Sparrow

This was an interesting story of two teenagers who share a father in common. A secret family and a known family cause varied upbringings for these two young people. Curiosity brings them together and chaos ensues. The characters were flawed (aren’t we all) and weren’t easy to like but the story was compelling enough to keep me coming back.

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siobhanward's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This book had a strong premise - one man with two daughters and two wives, but only one set of wife/daughter knew about the other. Jones set herself up for a very strong book here, but unfortunately I found it falling flat at times. Dana's storyline was good, although frustrating at times. It was hard to read about Dana constantly getting things taken away from her in favour of her sister, and I just found myself frustrated with James.

However, I think where things started to weaken was in the second half, which focused on Dana's sister Chaurisse. Chaurisse's story was not nearly as detailed as Dana's and at times it felt like there wasn't a ton of point to the second half of the story. While I appreciated that the climax felt mostly realistic, it also felt like it led to a rushed ending. I wish there had been a bit more of an ending after so much build up. I will give huge kudos to Jones' writing style - it really resonated with me, and I would definitely like to read more from her in the future.

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readingwithtrey's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

“People say, That which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. But they are wrong. What doesn’t kill you, doesn’t kill you. That’s all you get. Sometimes, you just have to hope that’s enough.”

Silver Sparrow took me through a rollercoaster of emotions. I’m going to keep this review short because I don’t think you should have any opinions on it going in. The book is written in 2 parts/POVs, and I must say, it was done brilliantly. All of the thoughts and opinions I formed in part 1 (other than the fact that James is/always will be a piece of work) were completely shattered in part 2.

I was so invested in this story, and the build up was perfect. The only reason this wasn’t a 5 star read for me is because the ending felt rushed and didn’t live up to the rest of the book.

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saskiahill's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.75

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abbie_'s review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

I loved this, I was completely hooked all the way through! Better than An American Marriage in my opinion. I’m not sure what it is about reading about messy, complicated lives… In a discussion section at the end, Jones says she hopes people will read this book and come away with more tolerance and compassion for people who find themselves trapped in messy situations, and you really do feel for Dana, Chaurisse, Laverne and Gwen… but not James. James can piss right off.

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leslie_overbookedsocialworker's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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

5.0

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tree_star's review against another edition

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4.0

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btothebooks's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

An engaging read. I liked the dual POV but also that they didn’t cover the exact same time; that while you heard from one daughter, you didn't hear from the other for her side. I don't know that I expected that specific ending, but

certainly found James the asshole for dropping Dana like that when she did nothing wrong. I'd also be interested to know how Chaurisse's life turned out beyond what we saw because, for all the benefits she had of having James in her life, Dana seemed in the more enviable position.

I'm not sure who I would peg as the main character here, though I'm not sure it matters?

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