Reviews

Betty by Tiffany McDaniel

jojosp13's review

challenging dark emotional sad 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? Yes

4.0

geneebee's review

challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad tense

5.0

bethg97's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.75

toofrank's review

challenging emotional medium-paced

5.0

finnfrye11's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

yoshisreads's review

dark emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

alliemcguire5's review

Just not my kind of book

ashcakesrawr's review

5.0

Life changing book.

butlerebecca's review

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad 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

5.0

Just fucking masterful

This is exactly how you write stories of trauma - with reflection and compassion, and balanced with a gorgeous prose defined by its fine-tuned attention to detail

Check the trigger warnings because there’s some graphic stuff in this book but if you can stomach it it’s absolutely worth the read

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Death, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Gun violence, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Animal death, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Incest, Murder, Racism, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Self harm, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Child death, Addiction, Sexism, Emotional abuse, and Drug use

Moderate: Pregnancy and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

alyssadamato's review against another edition

4.5

Betty is a meandering coming of age story, which probably some of the most beautiful writing I’ve ever read. I listened to the audiobook, which was probably the right move for me because the book is not plot heavy (is there a plot at all? Beside just growing up?), and I have a hard time staying focused while reading literary fiction. The audiobook narrator, and the author, made the characters literally leap off the page, they felt so real and present and distinct. This is another story that leads with deep love and respect- it shared the same elements as Hello Beautiful in that way, but I think the generational trauma gave this story more depth. It also was another example of a novel that explores parental relationships where there is both a lot of harm and a lot of love/respect