Scan barcode
fazazzle's review against another edition
- 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
2.0
Yinka is a very frustrating narrator, but she does feel very real (although I doubt any person could suddenly become fully actualized and a better person after only a few therapy sessions).
A fun enough read !
Graphic: Racism
katsmedialibrary's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Body shaming
Moderate: Racism and Fatphobia
thenovelmaura's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Although Yinka's goal is romance, the true outcome of the book is her character growth and the relationships she builds along the way. I'm only docking a star because it was a bit too long and I could feel myself growing impatient in some of the middle sections. Overall, this is a solid debut novel and I hope Damilola Blackburn is already working on her next one!
Graphic: Racism and Body shaming
Moderate: Death of parent
Colorismserendipitysbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Despite its overall lighthearted tone this tackled some serious topics including the pressure on women to marry and the problems with family pressure, judgement and comparison in general. Racism and colourism were also tackled, as was the issue of whether people were obligated to be proud of their cultural heritage and what this might look like. This story gets high marks for depicting therapy as a normal part of emotional and mental well-being. I also liked that Yinka was a strong Christian, determined to retain her virginity until marriage, and that she was not interested in imposing her values on others or judging those who believed differently. Such characteristics seem out of the ordinary in contemporary fiction so I found it a refreshing point of difference. I loved the inclusion of an aromantic character, a nice balance to the pressure to marry message. I also liked the inclusion of text messages, post-it notes, computer search histories and planning charts with KPIs. They added a little fun but also provided a quick insight into Yinka’s mind.
Moderate: Grief, Body shaming, and Racism
vaniavela's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
This story covers many topics, such as people's expectations and the pressure our family and culture put on us. It will also highlight some important themes such as colorism, and how it unfortunately influences the way relationships of all kinds (especially romantic ones) are sought and formed.
Yinka feels a lot of pressure from her family, all her friends seem to be getting married or having babies, which leads her to suffer constant comments. It was interesting to read a protagnist who saves her virginity for marriage and tries to be a light drinker.
Now on to negative aspects, I think this book is in the wrong genre. It's fine that there are mentions of religion, but since it covers so many aspects (there's praying, going to mass, even a non-believer character ends up getting into Christianity after making them reflect on it) I think the genre should have been Christian fiction, or at least something other than romantic comedy. It's not even a romance book, it's more of a self-love book. I also didn't like the pop culture references. And lastly, our main character has poor decision making skills, which made me angry at times.
Overall, I think it's a good book.
tw: death of a parent, death of a sibling, racism, mention of dieting, body shaming, cancer, fatphobia, grief.
Graphic: Body shaming, Racism, and Sexism
Moderate: Death of parent, Fatphobia, and Grief
onemorepagecrew's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Dysphoria, Racism, and Body shaming
Minor: Death of parent
amberinpieces's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Body shaming, Cursing, Dysphoria, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Death of parent, Outing, Religious bigotry, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Mental illness
jdamae11's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Moderate: Body shaming and Racism
kdailyreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Cancer, Grief, Toxic relationship, Racism, and Body shaming
Minor: Bullying
This isn’t an option in the content warnings for some reason, but this book discusses colorism at length.katiewhocanread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Body shaming
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, and Bullying