jazminrice's review
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Misogyny, Incest, Self harm, Child death, Abortion, Pedophilia, Death, Rape, Animal death, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Sexism, Animal cruelty, Sexual violence, Racism, Racial slurs, Suicide, Drug use, Drug abuse, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Grief, Death of parent, and Bullying
floppyleaves's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Rape, Incest, Murder, Mental illness, Injury/injury detail, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Sexism, Self harm, Grief, Animal cruelty, Racism, Violence, Blood, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Child death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Death of parent, Colonisation, Bullying, Animal death, and Abortion
Moderate: Gun violence, Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Addiction, and Body shaming
badwolfreads's review
- 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? No
4.0
Tiffany McDaniels
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
You know those really terrible 20-car pileups? That's what this book reminded me of. And not in a bad way (although there really isn't anything good about a car accident). It was like watching cars slowly crash into each other. It's terrible, but you don't want to stop looking. Traumatic event after traumatic event crashing into each other.
This book is about the Carpenter family, mostly about Betty. Alka & Landon, the parents, didn't meet in a particularly special way, but what was special was that Landon beat the shit out of Alka's dad after he found out he beat her. They ran off and had 8 kids, 2 of whom didn't last long. Landon is Native American with dark-skin, and so is Betty. This being in the time they were in and in Ohio, racial discrimination was pretty brutal, even among themselves. Alka, who was white, would tell Betty terrible things about how she looked. And so did her sister, Flossie. Then there was rape - 2 of the female characters were r*ped and Betty herself was almost raped, and these incidents weren't by strangers. Alka Carpenter isn't the greatest mom, but when you consider what happened to her, it makes more sense. There just so much that happens. The book takes place over the span of many years, which makes it seem really slow. There isn't a lot of happiness that comes through in this book, at least not for me. But it kept me reading and wanting to know what happens to certain characters. I would recommend with caution...this one is kind of heavy.
Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Murder, Bullying, Abortion, Sexual assault, Child death, Suicide attempt, Rape, Animal death, Sexism, Homophobia, Gaslighting, Incest, Mental illness, Racism, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
evetucker's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Medical trauma, Animal death, Death, Racism, Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Death of parent, Incest, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Rape, and Suicide attempt
donutcome4me's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Sexual violence, Mental illness, Hate crime, Bullying, Blood, Animal death, Child abuse, Torture, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Death, Cursing, Child death, Incest, Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Self harm, Rape, and Emotional abuse
milliebrierley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Grief, Hate crime, Racism, Rape, Abortion, Incest, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Animal death, Bullying, Animal cruelty, Suicide, and Death
marga_runa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Classism, Death of parent, Animal death, Bullying, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, and Death
Moderate: Alcohol and Addiction
dws's review
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Graphic: Classism, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Ableism, Grief, Child abuse, Racism, Sexism, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Drug use, Misogyny, Rape, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Animal death, Incest, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child death, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Pregnancy
shel_bay11's review
- 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
Graphic: Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Bullying, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Miscarriage, Rape, Religious bigotry, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide, Animal cruelty, Child death, Death of parent, Incest, Murder, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, and Domestic abuse
ienbdri'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death of parent, Death, Hate crime, Incest, Rape, Sexism, Suicide attempt, and Self harm
Moderate: Bullying, Drug use, Racism, Abortion, Blood, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Homophobia, Misogyny, Child death, and Injury/injury detail