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interruptinggirljoke's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
3.75
yychong12's review against another edition
3.0
Intriguing premise. Issues of inequality, abuse of a system meant to help, and attitudes. Maybe meant as a satire but comes across as someone wanting to push a point.
sarubobo29's review against another edition
4.0
Maybe 3.5? It was definitely a page-turner and I get that it’s satire so the characters are tropes but I wonder if maybe it could have been less “literal”/more nuanced… and also wonder if the use of the first person has something to do with it
yennn's review against another edition
challenging
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
3 star = I liked it, it's just not the genre that I LOVE.
This was an easy and interesting read, very similar to Yellowface in that the main character Javi, a Puerto Rican writer from the Bronx, exploits diversity initiatives, his audiences' intrigue in trauma porn, and performative allyship to rise to stardom. It also explores the addictive nature of validation on the internet and social media.
Told from Javis perspective, it surprisingly falls quite flat in terms of his own character depth and development. Everything seems very sequential and simple stated although, given the final chapter, this makes sense - it was just a little dull at times.
In any case, I would recommend if you enjoy satire like Yellowface and twitter and internet discourse.
This was an easy and interesting read, very similar to Yellowface in that the main character Javi, a Puerto Rican writer from the Bronx, exploits diversity initiatives, his audiences' intrigue in trauma porn, and performative allyship to rise to stardom. It also explores the addictive nature of validation on the internet and social media.
Told from Javis perspective, it surprisingly falls quite flat in terms of his own character depth and development. Everything seems very sequential and simple stated although, given the final chapter, this makes sense - it was just a little dull at times.
In any case, I would recommend if you enjoy satire like Yellowface and twitter and internet discourse.
davidavis's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
maxgardner's review against another edition
challenging
funny
reflective
fast-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
4.0
nikkitynack's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I have complicated feelings! On the one hand, Victim is a humorous condemnation of performative allyship, of well-meaning (sometimes) white people and their consumption of trauma porn. On the other hand, I think a right-winger would take this book and use it as an example of why DEI should all go away -- which is not a reason to dislike the book, just makes me anxious.
The narration was excellent, I will definitely be looking out for Anthony Rey Perez in the future.
All in all an interesting and fun read! I wish I was in a book club so I could discuss.
The narration was excellent, I will definitely be looking out for Anthony Rey Perez in the future.
All in all an interesting and fun read! I wish I was in a book club so I could discuss.
gaylealquizar's review against another edition
4.0
When trauma strikes and you have the chance to capitalize off of it, would you do it? Would you consider yourself a hustler or a victim- or can you be both?
Javier gets shown a world where his words and “personal experiences” can bring him praise and success, but only at the cost of selling out to stand out. Super entertaining read and a nudge of critique on self-reflection and performative activism. Another takeaway I thoroughly enjoyed was the topic of street smart vs book smart when forming an identity. At the end of this, I’d hoped that there would be some grand lesson learned, but it’s kind of hard to see over how much of a huge asshole Javier is. Still an easy and fun read.
Javier gets shown a world where his words and “personal experiences” can bring him praise and success, but only at the cost of selling out to stand out. Super entertaining read and a nudge of critique on self-reflection and performative activism. Another takeaway I thoroughly enjoyed was the topic of street smart vs book smart when forming an identity. At the end of this, I’d hoped that there would be some grand lesson learned, but it’s kind of hard to see over how much of a huge asshole Javier is. Still an easy and fun read.
readingsausage's review against another edition
4.0
Good fun, v readable, and deals with the subject in an accessible way. I also enjoyed it because the chapters were normal lengths.