Reviews tagging 'Stalking'

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

19 reviews

claireptondre's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny informative reflective tense medium-paced
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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marimaia's review against another edition

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reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

bees don’t like when you do gymnastics on they’s heads.

a Única coisa que me fez terminar esse livro foi a briar. literalmente. tirando ela e a zara, todos outros personagens são ruins. não no sentido de serem pessoas ruins (no caso da alix e do kelley sim), mas sim que não são interessantes e bem construídos.

a história começa interessante e eu achei que teria muita discussão em cima de tudo, mas 80% do tempo esconderam o que aconteceu e ficaram agindo como adolescentes. 

no final, foi uma perda de tempo. queria que fizessem um compilado apenas com os momentos em que a briar e a zara aparecem, e talvez assim eu recomendasse essa leitura para alguém. talvez.
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lil_wavy_'s review against another edition

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

3.75

This book was so messy from the start y'all!! I'm not gonna lie, the ending did kinda throwed me off but i do feel like it needed to end that way. Yes this book is by a black author for those who wanted to know. It's about a Black babysitter who watches a rich white wife kids and she gets accused of kidnapping her children. That's all I'm gonna say about the book because there's a lot more to that book.
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hanngigi's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective 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

4.0

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kcarney86's review against another edition

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reflective fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

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pointlessmoss's review against another edition

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funny reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The lesson I learned from this: white people need to stop meddling!! And they should also stop trying to outdo one another in an imaginary competition of "Who is the least racist" (unless it's for my personal amusement).
For real though, I LOVE the writing and the story and the characters. I feel like I was reading about real people, not made-up fictional characters. Emira has my heart. I enjoyed myself the whole time and I felt so satisfied with how everything came together. So glad I picked this book up :) 
Part of me wants to recommend this to everyone I know, but the other part of me knows not everyone will get invested in a slice-of-life story with this type of writing. I also want to hear what other people took away from this book! I'm curious to see what other interpretations of the story might be, and what I may have missed! 
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dominic_t's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense 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

3.0

This is an incredibly pointed look at white liberal racism and the emptiness of feminist brands. The characters are very vivid and well-developed; they both had really distinct voices in the story.

It's not a comfortable read. The POV characters are Alix and Emira. Alix is a wealthy white woman who has a feminist brand that reminds me of Sheryl Sandberg's "Lean In." Emira is the Black woman who babysits for her and is trying to figure out her next step in life. Alix spends a lot of the book determined to become friends with Emira, and she ends up basically stalking her. It was so uncomfortable reading chapters from her perspective while she orchestrated and manipulated situations with Emira to foster a closeness that Emira didn't want. Kiley Reid did a great job of capturing Alix's neurotic performative mindset, and she manages to humanize her. Alix does some horrible shit throughout the book, but she is presented as a human making flawed choices rather than a monster. She also does a fantastic job showing the progression of Alix's behavior; we see her boundary-stomping, manipulative behavior grow over time, and it provides a foundation for her final horrible act.

I really loved Emira. The author does a great job of capturing the in-between phase she's stuck in. She's not sure what she wants to do next, and she feels trapped by the reality of her financial situation. Her relationship with Briar, the kid she babysits, is also beautifully portrayed. The author really captures the challenge of leaving a caregiving position when you love the person you care for. She experiences the most growth in the book, and I absolutely loved seeing it.

The writing is beautiful, and the social commentary is really incisive. It's not a comfortable read, but it is one that will stay with me.
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neb03's review against another edition

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challenging emotional tense fast-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

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kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny informative reflective tense 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? Yes

5.0

A brilliant story that on the surface is about two people who can’t let go of the past but when you dig deeper is about their need to not be racist, no matter the cost. This book outlines the way that well-meaning white liberals (especially the women) make choices for and about the Black women in their lives, instead of treating those women like true equals and giving them the space to make their own choices. Reid highlights the way white people often think they know what is best or just for Black people without asking or trying to understand a different perspective while also telling a complex coming of age story filled with love and loss. 
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marisa_n's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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

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