Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Last Summer on State Street by Toya Wolfe

10 reviews

hannahcomer4d's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad tense 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Gun violence, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Drug abuse, Trafficking, Police brutality, Child death, Death, Blood, Child abuse, 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

3littlewordz's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Gun violence, Blood, Sexual harassment, Death, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Abandonment, and Bullying

amandalorianxo's review

dark informative sad tense fast-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

4.5

This was a well written debut told mostly through hindsight / flashbacks mixed with present day. An all too real occurrence for those growing up in the projects or the “wrong side of the tracks” What Felicia and her friends go through in just one summer was truly heart breaking and I can’t wait to read more from this author. Despite there being a lot more sad components than happy ones, this is an informative, realistic read about a small section of Chicago’s South Side. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death and Death

Minor: Sexual assault and Blood

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

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

combepherre's review

dark emotional informative 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Child death, Alcohol, Blood, Sexual assault, Death, Violence, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Police brutality, Rape, Trafficking, Child abuse, Addiction, Bullying, and Abandonment

baileyk123's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective 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

Sad & beautiful coming-of-age story about intergenerational trauma and kids who have to grow up too fast in order to survive. Felicia’s voice and POV are so strong. Wonderful audiobook narrator. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Child abuse

Moderate: Bullying, Gun violence, Racism, Addiction, Drug abuse, Adult/minor relationship, and Police brutality

estam1's review

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Trafficking, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Addiction, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, and Abandonment

tinytrashqueen's review against another edition

emotional 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Gun violence, Police brutality, Child abuse, Death, Bullying, Child death, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Medical content, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Addiction, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Abortion and Pregnancy