Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

Last Summer on State Street by Toya Wolfe

21 reviews

maregred's review

challenging inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Rape, Classism, Drug abuse, Death, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Addiction, Gun violence, Racism, and Adult/minor relationship

znvisser's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Fiction that reads like a memoir. Coming of age story with children in heartbreaking circumstances and adults that influence their environments by the choices they had to make for themselves. Interesting characters and beautiful writing. Main character was a bit eager to save everyone and heavy on religion to me personally but I can appreciate how it tied into the story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, and Violence

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Child abuse, and Murder

Minor: Pregnancy

leahgustafson's review

emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

This is a beautiful, raw, and haunting coming of age story set in Chicago during the summer of 1999. Fe Fe has lived in the Robert Taylor Homes her whole life. Now they are set to be torn down, and its residents will (hopefully) be relocated. 

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I love how this story is told from twelve-year-old Fe Fe’s perspective. She and her friends jump double dutch as they navigate this looming change and seek refuge from the gang violence and drug trade that plagues their community. I think that while a child’s perspective can be unreliable at times, children are also very observant and they see the world in a unique way. Eventually the perspective shifts and we get Fe Fe as an adult narrator, reflecting back on her time in the Robert Taylor Homes. This is an interesting shift because as a child, this housing complex has been her whole life, but as an adult, this is just a piece of her life. I think this is really impactful because it shows how life in the Robert Taylor Homes (and the relationships/experiences that came with it) shaped her, but they are not her only identity. Finally, we get Stacia’s perspective at the end of the book. At first I thought this was an odd choice, but it lets the reader into some things that Fe Fe didn’t fully know or understand as a child. 

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Something I find myself coming back to time and again is Fe Fe’s love for Meechie. It is so real and genuine. Her reflections on/how she grabbles with his choices are a powerful insight and commentary on black boys’ options for achieving safety, security, and ultimately survival. 

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This is Toya Wolfe’s debut novel, and I will definitely read anything else she writes! Wolfe herself grew up in the Robert Taylor Homes, and I’d like to think she’s added a bit of herself to this story and its characters. 

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🚨 This book has some heavy content warnings so please make sure you check that out before you dive into this one! 

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Check out what I'm reading next on Instagram @LeahsLitReview!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Addiction, and Gun violence

hilarymercer's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Mental illness, Addiction, Bullying, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Violence, Death, and Domestic abuse

samantha1960's review

dark emotional hopeful reflective 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Gun violence, Adult/minor relationship, Police brutality, Bullying, Child abuse, Violence, Trafficking, Pregnancy, Murder, Sexual violence, Drug use, and Drug abuse

erinmcav's review

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Police brutality

Moderate: Addiction, Sexual assault, and Adult/minor relationship

kirbyaliceox's review

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad slow-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Addiction

Moderate: Police brutality, Pregnancy, Rape, and Murder

karyan1's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Death, Murder, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Police brutality, Drug use, Violence, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, and Bullying

Moderate: Pregnancy and Blood

enthusiasticsamantha's review

challenging emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Gun violence, and Death

midnightmarauder's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative 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? Yes

5.0

Last Summer on State Street is told from the perspective of Felicia Stevens, often called Fe Fe by her friends and other people in the neighborhood. She lives in the South Side of Chicago in the Robert Taylor Homes projects. She has two best friends: church-girl Precious Brown, and Stacia Buchanan, who comes from a gang-affiliated background. 

Though the girls come from different walks of life, they lean on each other for support and friendship. Tonya, a new girl in their building, appears, and Felicia invites her over and she joins their friend group. But, Tonya comes with her own set of problems that don't show themselves until later. 

Tonya flinches a lot at loud sounds like gunshots or yelling, which makes me believe that she was a victim of

physical abuse

, even though it's never explicitly stated. However, it is revealed that she is a victim of

sexual abuse at the hands of drug dealers in their neighborhood.

Her mother is also a

drug addict, so it's possible that she could've been pimping Tonya out to the dealers in exchange for drugs

.

Fe Fe, who is naive but also very curious, grows up quickly during her time on State Street, witnessing both her building,

which is slated for demolition

, and her friends fall apart around her. Although so much changes around her, she uses the issues as vitriol to

get an education and move out of Chicago altogether

, making something of herself. 

I enjoyed reading this book so much, that it was always hard to put down. It reminded me a lot of my own childhood back when I lived in the projects; how I had a mother who sheltered me the best she could from the dangers of life in public housing, and how I had friends who, more often than not, had worse living situations than I had. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Gun violence, Abandonment, Blood, Death, Police brutality, and Violence

Moderate: Emotional abuse

Minor: Drug use, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Toxic friendship, and Adult/minor relationship