Reviews

Not So Pure and Simple by Lamar Giles

Only show reviews with written explanations

seymone's review against another edition

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4.0

3.5 stars

My teenager daughter enjoyed listening to it with me.

Good message for teens.

trixster33's review

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challenging emotional funny informative inspiring fast-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

5.0

Really fun book, tackles lots of issues, including gossip, toxic masculinity, teen pregnancy, sex education. It has great dialogue, great characters, really appreciate everyone feels real so you can tell who is speaking without needing to be told

Content Warnings

222cieloreads's review

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4.0

3.75 ⭐️

dominiquexalana's review

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5.0

In lieu of the epidemic of podcast men, red pill talking points and misogyny at an all time high, this book is timeless. I would HIGHLY recommend this to young men.

bookinitwithahtiya's review against another edition

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4.5

This is a solid Young Adult novel that tackles SO MANY things: toxic masculinity, ingrained misogyny, the varying degrees and complexities within Christianity, the importance of sex education, and more. At first, you might be a bit turned off my the protagonist, but then you realize he is a product of our society, the one that tells boys they have to be sexually active and teaches them to "go get girls" like they're conquests. There a sense of entitlement and Nice Guy™️ that rolls of of Del, and for those of us who have dealt with the men that start out as young men like this, it can be pretty frustrating. What's masterful about Giles' writing is that Del goes on a journey and is checked on his toxic masculinity and entitlement SEVERAL times; it's a sneaky way to send a message to the audience that needs it most, and it's brilliant.

bluests's review

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4.0

Really great book discussing toxic masculinity as well as criticizing some of the counter-productive ideas in Christianity from a Christian perspective. I feel like the situation with the church and Pastor Newsome was wrapped up a little too tidily, though it's possible that it's just my personal discomfort with the situation that makes me feel like the resolution was a little too glossed over. Personally wish we got to see a little bit more about Jameer. I know he isn't real but I hope he's okay :')