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lillypad827's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I held off on reading this book for a long time, I think due in part to the fact that I’m from Philly and work at an agency that works with folks with OUD. Also, in Philly, it was being blasted everywhere for us to read and sometimes that turns me off something. Anyway, wow I’m glad I finally read this book! It was gripping without being a cheesy thriller. The story felt real, almost as if I was reading a memoir. I was a bit annoyed not having quotation marks for dialogue parts but I think it also kept the tone of the book by not having them. Great read, highly recommend!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction
Moderate: Pedophilia, Murder, and Pregnancy
keandres's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Trafficking, Drug abuse, Drug use, Murder, Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Pregnancy
brookey8888's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was very good, but a hard read. The subject matter is dark and the implications are dark as well. That being said it’s so important to read about this. I do have to say the writing style of this is so odd and took me a while to get into. I think if this was written differently it could have been a five star and maybe more emotional. As for the thriller/mystery aspect it really wasn’t the main plot( and I found it predictable), but I still enjoyed it and that it was underlying. I really enjoyed learning more about the sister relationship and the family dynamics. I do have to say I didn’t love the ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Drug use, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual violence, Cursing, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Classism, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexism, and Violence
rachelfrome's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Sexual assault, Police brutality, and Pedophilia
natalienance's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
osomo's review
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I would prefer it if the author has explored some of the themes touched upon in the book at more depth.
For instance, there is a comment one character makes about police brutality to, as he puts it, people in general, and it seems almost like and afterthought and is not brought up again, the book focuses on crimes against a particular group of people and forgets to explore police brutality at large. In this sense the book does not give new insights to police brutality, thus, i am not happy with the way it was vaguely brought up in a conversation and brushed off.
Another thing I was unhappy about was the way the main character’s problematic relationship with her baby daddy was shown. A secondary character denounced it (way post-factum), but made it clear everyone around them knew this relationship and this person were problematic and did nothing. At the same time, the main character spends most of the time oblivious to the problem and then is simply extremely ashamed. Shame plays a significant role in her life (in situations in which she should not be ashamed, since she was not even at fault etc.), and she never deals that feeling and what causes it, she does not reconsider the situation, she does not learn that she has nothing to be ashamed of. And as a survivor of a similar scenario to what she went through, I do not appreciate how this reinforces the idea that women should be victimised and ashamed. Also, the fact that others could have stopped a gr**mer and didn’t is not addressed properly. The topic is brought up in the middle of the book and then forgotten. The main character does not address her feelings, does nothing about the situation, police does nothing, nobody acknowledges that this isn’t right. It seems that the line with the pr*dator was only introduced to give readers a “bad guy” to suspect in the crimes. But in real life trauma would affect the main character and stay with her, not just come and go at convenient for the plot times.
Thus, since the author is clearly trying to raise awareness about certain issues, which the acknowledgements show, the author should be attentive to the points they bring about and how the sentiments expressed in the book may contribute to problematic ideas and myths.
I liked the pacing of the book and the main story focusing on the relationships between two sisters. I liked that there were two timelines: contemporary events and the memories.
I will not comment on the plot-twists and the murder mystery reveal since those seem to be just a background to the main things the book is trying to do.
I was not too happy with the way the second sister’s current day story was revealed (in a bulk of text, bland retelling of the events), felt like pacing slowed down in that part, not matching with the rest of the more subtle narration, but it was not too long, so not a huge deal.
Mainly, the time I spent with this book was a good one.
It is not my place to tell whether the book discusses the main issues it focuses on (dr*g ab*se and how it affects people, families and communities) was explored with enough care and depth, but as a person who knows little about it these problems, I thought the author did a good job in exploring them. The characters (and the readers) learnt about different aspects of the issues, gained understanding and changed their perception by the end of the story.
I only wish the other important issues the author raised were concluded in a similar way.
For instance, there is a comment one character makes about police brutality to, as he puts it, people in general, and it seems almost like and afterthought and is not brought up again, the book focuses on crimes against a particular group of people and forgets to explore police brutality at large. In this sense the book does not give new insights to police brutality, thus, i am not happy with the way it was vaguely brought up in a conversation and brushed off.
Another thing I was unhappy about was the way the main character’s problematic relationship with her baby daddy was shown. A secondary character denounced it (way post-factum), but made it clear everyone around them knew this relationship and this person were problematic and did nothing. At the same time, the main character spends most of the time oblivious to the problem and then is simply extremely ashamed. Shame plays a significant role in her life (in situations in which she should not be ashamed, since she was not even at fault etc.), and she never deals that feeling and what causes it, she does not reconsider the situation, she does not learn that she has nothing to be ashamed of. And as a survivor of a similar scenario to what she went through, I do not appreciate how this reinforces the idea that women should be victimised and ashamed. Also, the fact that others could have stopped a gr**mer and didn’t is not addressed properly. The topic is brought up in the middle of the book and then forgotten. The main character does not address her feelings, does nothing about the situation, police does nothing, nobody acknowledges that this isn’t right. It seems that the line with the pr*dator was only introduced to give readers a “bad guy” to suspect in the crimes. But in real life trauma would affect the main character and stay with her, not just come and go at convenient for the plot times.
Thus, since the author is clearly trying to raise awareness about certain issues, which the acknowledgements show, the author should be attentive to the points they bring about and how the sentiments expressed in the book may contribute to problematic ideas and myths.
I liked the pacing of the book and the main story focusing on the relationships between two sisters. I liked that there were two timelines: contemporary events and the memories.
I will not comment on the plot-twists and the murder mystery reveal since those seem to be just a background to the main things the book is trying to do.
I was not too happy with the way the second sister’s current day story was revealed (in a bulk of text, bland retelling of the events), felt like pacing slowed down in that part, not matching with the rest of the more subtle narration, but it was not too long, so not a huge deal.
Mainly, the time I spent with this book was a good one.
It is not my place to tell whether the book discusses the main issues it focuses on (dr*g ab*se and how it affects people, families and communities) was explored with enough care and depth, but as a person who knows little about it these problems, I thought the author did a good job in exploring them. The characters (and the readers) learnt about different aspects of the issues, gained understanding and changed their perception by the end of the story.
I only wish the other important issues the author raised were concluded in a similar way.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence
christiereads23's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was a story about two sisters who have been affected by drug addiction their whole lives. One sister Mickey becomes a cop and works in Kensington in Philadelphia, an area notorious for drug addiction, while the other sister Kacey who is struggling with drug addiction has not been seen for over a month. As a serious of murders happen, Mickey is desperate to find her sister before she becomes the next victim.
Anyone who has any experience with a loved one suffering through drug addiction will recognize the struggles that both sisters go through in this book. While there is a murder mystery going on as the main plot point of the novel, the major focus is on the two sisters' relationship and how it has been impacted by drugs. Both Kacey and Mickey felt real, and neither were perfect. They both have done things that they are ashamed of and that impact them daily. The murder mystery, however, was expertly plotted. I want to re-read this novel to see all the clues that led us to our killer. Finally, as someone who was born and raised in Philadelphia, Moore captures the neighborhoods and locations of Philly perfectly.
Anyone who has any experience with a loved one suffering through drug addiction will recognize the struggles that both sisters go through in this book. While there is a murder mystery going on as the main plot point of the novel, the major focus is on the two sisters' relationship and how it has been impacted by drugs. Both Kacey and Mickey felt real, and neither were perfect. They both have done things that they are ashamed of and that impact them daily. The murder mystery, however, was expertly plotted. I want to re-read this novel to see all the clues that led us to our killer. Finally, as someone who was born and raised in Philadelphia, Moore captures the neighborhoods and locations of Philly perfectly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Pedophilia and Police brutality
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