Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really wanted to like this book because it was recommended by a friend. And it’s not that I DIDN’T like it… but there was a lot that was dissatisfying. If it makes anybody feel better (I told my friend I’d be extra polite in this review) I think I was dissatisfied because I knew the book had so much potential that it wasn’t reaching.
Without further ado, and I promised to be nice, here are The Things:
The Exposition Thing: The primary issue I couldn’t get past in this book was the way the exposition was delivered. Rather than being integrated through dialogue, thought process, action, or other more casual ways of giving the reader information, it was just dumped in paragraphs. For example, Mickey would ask Lex about dinner with XYZ friends and then there would be 3 paragraphs about those friends’ jobs, how they met, etc.
The Set-Up Thing: Not enough of it, personally. We are TOLD a lot of things about Mickey’s relationships with Tee and Lex. We aren’t given enough time of Mickey and Lex being a healthy relationship to care if Mickey goes back to her, and we aren’t given anything positive about Tee enough to care if Mickey chooses her either. Traditionally, love triangles are meant to be metaphors for a character decision (ie. in the Hunger Games, Katniss isn’t REALLY choosing between Gale and Peeta, she’s choosing between embracing her anger or embracing forgiveness/peace), but in this book, both options are representing bad shit. You could argue that that’s on purpose and that Mickey is supposed to choose herself, but quite frankly there’s nothing about Mickey that makes me think that that’s an effective life option for herself… so I don’t like that.
The Self-Sabotage Thing: Remember how I just talked about why Mickey couldn’t have “chosen herself”? It’s not that that trope doesn’t work (Aster Flores in The Half of It is a great example of it succeeding), but that it doesn’t work for Mickey specifically. We don’t see an ounce of character growth, and honestly you could argue Mickey is actively committing character integrity suicide. It happens in the last fifty pages of the book too which removes any chance of “redemption” and also makes her just not that likable.
The Dialogue Thing: The dialogue felt very realistic, but to me that was the problem. If you recorded a real conversation, wrote it down, and had a stranger read it, they would find it difficult to follow conceptually and clunky in flow. Humans don’t speak well most of the time, and while it works for a real conversation it doesn’t make sense to waste real estate on a page with “real” dialogue. I could totally see what the author was TRYING to do, usually after I re-read a strange section, but it was a little off-putting to the point that I started skimming the dialogue.
The Resolution Thing: Where is it? It ends extremely abruptly, and in my opinion is way too open-ended. There are times when that works (like also in The Half of It), but for this story I just didn’t like it. It felt like the author didn’t know what to do next, and just wanted to be done with the entire thing.
The Memoir Thing: I don’t know how else to explain this book other than that it felt like a memoir. Besides it being fictional, I mean. A lot of things that I let slide or actually enjoy in a memoir (paragraph-style exposition, awkward dialogue, poor character choices, unresolved plots) just doesn’t work in a fictional book.
The ‘I Promise I Liked It’ Thing: I liked a lot about this book though, I promise! I love diverse casts and main characters, I love topics of social justice and social commentary, and I love realistic stories. The prose had its moments, but the book felt like a first draft and it is difficult for me to get past that part as someone who reads books for stories and characters, not so much just the words on the page.
If you’re someone who likes reading to read, enjoys prose without needing purpose, and doesn’t mind a story that is weak in character, then you would probably really like it (which I realize now sounds quite backhanded but I swear I’m being genuine).
3 stars
(Would be 2, but the friend who recommended it said I’m too mean)
Without further ado, and I promised to be nice, here are The Things:
The Exposition Thing: The primary issue I couldn’t get past in this book was the way the exposition was delivered. Rather than being integrated through dialogue, thought process, action, or other more casual ways of giving the reader information, it was just dumped in paragraphs. For example, Mickey would ask Lex about dinner with XYZ friends and then there would be 3 paragraphs about those friends’ jobs, how they met, etc.
The Set-Up Thing: Not enough of it, personally. We are TOLD a lot of things about Mickey’s relationships with Tee and Lex. We aren’t given enough time of Mickey and Lex being a healthy relationship to care if Mickey goes back to her, and we aren’t given anything positive about Tee enough to care if Mickey chooses her either. Traditionally, love triangles are meant to be metaphors for a character decision (ie. in the Hunger Games, Katniss isn’t REALLY choosing between Gale and Peeta, she’s choosing between embracing her anger or embracing forgiveness/peace), but in this book, both options are representing bad shit. You could argue that that’s on purpose and that Mickey is supposed to choose herself, but quite frankly there’s nothing about Mickey that makes me think that that’s an effective life option for herself… so I don’t like that.
The Self-Sabotage Thing: Remember how I just talked about why Mickey couldn’t have “chosen herself”? It’s not that that trope doesn’t work (Aster Flores in The Half of It is a great example of it succeeding), but that it doesn’t work for Mickey specifically. We don’t see an ounce of character growth, and honestly you could argue Mickey is actively committing character integrity suicide. It happens in the last fifty pages of the book too which removes any chance of “redemption” and also makes her just not that likable.
The Dialogue Thing: The dialogue felt very realistic, but to me that was the problem. If you recorded a real conversation, wrote it down, and had a stranger read it, they would find it difficult to follow conceptually and clunky in flow. Humans don’t speak well most of the time, and while it works for a real conversation it doesn’t make sense to waste real estate on a page with “real” dialogue. I could totally see what the author was TRYING to do, usually after I re-read a strange section, but it was a little off-putting to the point that I started skimming the dialogue.
The Resolution Thing: Where is it? It ends extremely abruptly, and in my opinion is way too open-ended. There are times when that works (like also in The Half of It), but for this story I just didn’t like it. It felt like the author didn’t know what to do next, and just wanted to be done with the entire thing.
The Memoir Thing: I don’t know how else to explain this book other than that it felt like a memoir. Besides it being fictional, I mean. A lot of things that I let slide or actually enjoy in a memoir (paragraph-style exposition, awkward dialogue, poor character choices, unresolved plots) just doesn’t work in a fictional book.
The ‘I Promise I Liked It’ Thing: I liked a lot about this book though, I promise! I love diverse casts and main characters, I love topics of social justice and social commentary, and I love realistic stories. The prose had its moments, but the book felt like a first draft and it is difficult for me to get past that part as someone who reads books for stories and characters, not so much just the words on the page.
If you’re someone who likes reading to read, enjoys prose without needing purpose, and doesn’t mind a story that is weak in character, then you would probably really like it (which I realize now sounds quite backhanded but I swear I’m being genuine).
3 stars
(Would be 2, but the friend who recommended it said I’m too mean)
slow-paced
I enjoyed the character development but the going back was ughh for me. So far it didn’t seem right for her to be with either and if she did end up with one or the other I’d be upset for them.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Drug use, Infidelity, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Alcohol
bookclub pick! and I had such a hard time with this book 😢 the mc is just sooooo self sabotaging and pretty immature in a way that I can't stand. she didn't respect anyone who was trying to help her and sosososo many things were unresolved at the end. I thought the message of the book about black women in media would be a lot more focused on but it just fell short and was a messy Sapphic story instead. sighhh
Loved this! Mickey was relatable, even if I didn’t always agree with her. This book is SO real and I actually want more. I want to know everything about Mickey and Scottie, family, and friends. I saw myself and life in some of these pages and that is amazing. Mickey could easily be a girl I went to college with and a girl I’m rooting for in her ambitions and dreams. Amazing!
**Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
**Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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
I sobbed through a whole chapter and was devastated that it was over.
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes