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briana513's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
Boring at times. Ending didn’t feel like a resolution, kind of just seemed like Ruth gave up and everyone moved on? I mean it was for the better but it still seemed like a lot of build up for nothing Midnight was definitely my favorite character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Police brutality, Miscarriage, and Racism
lady_elle's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Death of parent, Grief, Racism, Violence, Abandonment, Pregnancy, and Racial slurs
Minor: Slavery, Alcohol, Addiction, Emotional abuse, and Bullying
moriahleigh's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Racism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Police brutality
suzyvee's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Violence, and Racism
Moderate: Classism, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Ableism, Racism, and Bullying
Minor: Addiction and Alcohol
tallycat007's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Child death
seawarrior's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.0
The Kindest Lie skillfully weaves together the experiences and perspectives of multiple characters in a floundering small town to present a novel where there are no easy answers. Johnson excels at giving her characters unique voices and slowly unraveling their life story to explain who they've become and why. Ironically, the character I felt least compelled by was Ruth. Her naivety and lack of planning frustrated me at times, while in other scenarios her dialogue read too perfect to believe a real person would react how she was. Luckily by the end of the book I felt like Ruth had matured into accepting more responsibility for herself while still speaking her truth. Otherwise, I thought each of the characters were written very authentically, and that Johnson obviously did the research to ensure they would be. The book was much less dramatic than I had expected it to be, which isn't a negative feature. Instead of using flashy, scandalous tropes, Johnson grabs the reader's attention by pitting Ruth's differing responsibilities against each other to a devastating effect. Ultimately, this is a story about the weight of the sacrifices families must make to protect their youngest members, and how Black families are always expected to sacrifice more. I would recommend this book to other readers, especially those looking for stories with multifaceted narratives about race and class in the United States.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Pregnancy, Racism, and Grief
Moderate: Hate crime, Police brutality, Death of parent, Child death, and Murder
Minor: Miscarriage, Addiction, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Infidelity, and Infertility
bookdragon217's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
"One thing I learned a long time ago is that you can't live your life looking back."
Thank you @williammorrowbooks for the gifted copy.
Bookdragon rating 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
I finished The Kindest Lie a few days ago and I can't stop thinking about it because there is so much to unpack. This novel was a perfect blend of rich character and plot development. It starts out very slow but so many layers and back story are added on that the wait is worth it. By the time the story reached its peak, it was so tense I was literally holding my breath. The writing style is so beautiful and poetic that you are captivated from the very first sentence. It was an emotional roller coaster but I'm glad I went for the ride. Ruth and Midnight played tug of war with my heart the entire time.
This book is a window into a segment of the country that isn't always in the spotlight. Your own perspective will be tested with the different dilemmas each character is facing and the decisions they choose to make. Each one is essentially in survival mode trying to maintain secrets and lies but the truth always comes out at the worst times.
I was left pondering:
- What defines motherhood? How do you begin to mother in the future when the choices about your own body were taken away?
- How can you live an authentic life while holding on to so much pain and keeping secrets?
- How do you fill the void of feeling unwanted by your parents?
- Does lying for the greater good ever pan out?
- How could Ruth's family and Lena's family never address the very real racial barriers/ bias in their friendship?
- How will Midnight deal with his brewing racial tensions?
- Does marraige automatically require full disclosure of past trauma?
- How does society return the innocence of youth back to Black children?
- How do groups with similar struggles of varying degrees come to a place of open communication and move past the biases?
- Class and education cannot save you from the violence of racism.
My mind is still spinning with so many thoughts. This book is timely, necessary and beautifully written. I cannot wait to see else the author has in store for us because this debut packed a punch.
Thank you @williammorrowbooks for the gifted copy.
Bookdragon rating 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
I finished The Kindest Lie a few days ago and I can't stop thinking about it because there is so much to unpack. This novel was a perfect blend of rich character and plot development. It starts out very slow but so many layers and back story are added on that the wait is worth it. By the time the story reached its peak, it was so tense I was literally holding my breath. The writing style is so beautiful and poetic that you are captivated from the very first sentence. It was an emotional roller coaster but I'm glad I went for the ride. Ruth and Midnight played tug of war with my heart the entire time.
This book is a window into a segment of the country that isn't always in the spotlight. Your own perspective will be tested with the different dilemmas each character is facing and the decisions they choose to make. Each one is essentially in survival mode trying to maintain secrets and lies but the truth always comes out at the worst times.
I was left pondering:
- What defines motherhood? How do you begin to mother in the future when the choices about your own body were taken away?
- How can you live an authentic life while holding on to so much pain and keeping secrets?
- How do you fill the void of feeling unwanted by your parents?
- Does lying for the greater good ever pan out?
- How could Ruth's family and Lena's family never address the very real racial barriers/ bias in their friendship?
- How will Midnight deal with his brewing racial tensions?
- Does marraige automatically require full disclosure of past trauma?
- How does society return the innocence of youth back to Black children?
- How do groups with similar struggles of varying degrees come to a place of open communication and move past the biases?
- Class and education cannot save you from the violence of racism.
My mind is still spinning with so many thoughts. This book is timely, necessary and beautifully written. I cannot wait to see else the author has in store for us because this debut packed a punch.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Racism
Minor: Addiction, Infertility, Miscarriage, Police brutality, Racial slurs, and Torture
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