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bluberrybooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child abuse, Death of parent, Murder, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Medical content, Racism, and Pedophilia
Minor: Grief, Ableism, and Fatphobia
Adulteryahopper7's review against another edition
dark
funny
fast-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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Violence, Blood, Domestic abuse, Murder, and Physical abuse
blackcatkai's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
CW: Violence, Blood, Murder, Medical content, Gaslighting, Casual Ableism, Trauma
this was a fun, quick, read. i really enjoyed being in the MC's thoughts while trying to figure out what to do about her potentially-a-serial-killer sister while just wanting to be with the guy she has a crush on. a short book about family ties, trauma, & relationships. there are definitely some cultural aspects that i, as an american and NOT nigerian, probably went over my head in some way, but it definitely didnt hinder my enjoyment at all and i would absolutely read from braithwaite again in the future.
this was a fun, quick, read. i really enjoyed being in the MC's thoughts while trying to figure out what to do about her potentially-a-serial-killer sister while just wanting to be with the guy she has a crush on. a short book about family ties, trauma, & relationships. there are definitely some cultural aspects that i, as an american and NOT nigerian, probably went over my head in some way, but it definitely didnt hinder my enjoyment at all and i would absolutely read from braithwaite again in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Ableism and Gaslighting
fictionlostandfound's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
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? Yes
3.5
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite is a fast-paced, dark thriller with a balancing dose of sardonic humor.
It is common among siblings for them to be alike in many ways, yet so different. In this instance, we have Korede - the responsible, hard working sister who just so happens to enjoy cleaning to an OCD level; and Ayoola - the free-spirited, outgoing sister who just so happens to "accidently" kill her significant others. Everyone has their faults, right? But family is family.
This book read very quickly with short chapters, which I appreciated. I enjoyed the dark humor and the focus on the pull of family bonds. This is a good, short read for spooky season!
It is common among siblings for them to be alike in many ways, yet so different. In this instance, we have Korede - the responsible, hard working sister who just so happens to enjoy cleaning to an OCD level; and Ayoola - the free-spirited, outgoing sister who just so happens to "accidently" kill her significant others. Everyone has their faults, right? But family is family.
This book read very quickly with short chapters, which I appreciated. I enjoyed the dark humor and the focus on the pull of family bonds. This is a good, short read for spooky season!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Domestic abuse, Ableism, Child abuse, Death, Murder, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
nannahnannah's review against another edition
3.0
Mystery isn’t a genre I’d normally read, but I’ve been wanting to get out of my “reading comfort zone” and -- of course -- read more from diverse authors. That, and this cover is really engaging!
Representation:
characters are Nigerian (as is the author)
When Korede gets an SOS call from her sister one night, she knows it means one thing: this is the third time. The third time her sister has defended herself from yet another boyfriend who has attacked her. The third time her sister has stabbed someone, and Korede has been called in to clean up and dispose of the body. But this time, Korede can’t get the man out of her mind. He’d been stabbed in the back, and she can’t shake the feeling that just maybe … there’s something wrong with her sister.
Things get worse when the man Korede’s in love with at work falls for her sister. They start dating, and Korede’s afraid it’s only a matter of time before she’s cleaning up his body, too. But what should she do … stand by her her sister as she’s always done or betray her for the man she loves?
This book goes by incredibly fast. The pages are very thick, so it doesn’t actually have that many words. Basically, that makes the pace very quick, and there’s not a lot of time for rest or secondary character development (if at all, actually; secondary characters don’t really have roles to be honest). Not necessarily a bad thing, because the book is really all about the few mains.
The plot and the main characters are gripping, and held my attention all the way through. Though small, the book really doesn’t lose momentum at any spot, it just keeps on driving and gaining speed and drama till the end. So while I have some problems with it, there’s no doubt it’s a good story.
What bothered me though was some problems with tone. There was a very obvious disregard/dislike for sanitation workers and janitors. Korede hated literally Every janitor in the novel, and these workers were all, without exception, lazy and pretty much good-for-nothing people. In fact, Korede was unnecessarily judgemental of everyone, and once equated disability = ugliness, which was … not pleasant. There was also some fatphobia as well, because why not? I know some of this was because she also had some internal issues to figure out but … because that never happened, I was left just having to conclude 1). She was just that judgemental, or 2). This is the way the author herself thinks.
Anyway, it wasn’t a bad book, and I enjoyed most of it -- though that ending … it wasn’t very satisfying! It felt like the feeling when you watch one of those “acclaimed Hollywood films” that just leaves you feeling unsettled at the end -- but some “jokes” left me wanting to close the book for a bit just to get that foul taste out of my mouth.
Representation:
characters are Nigerian (as is the author)
When Korede gets an SOS call from her sister one night, she knows it means one thing: this is the third time. The third time her sister has defended herself from yet another boyfriend who has attacked her. The third time her sister has stabbed someone, and Korede has been called in to clean up and dispose of the body. But this time, Korede can’t get the man out of her mind. He’d been stabbed in the back, and she can’t shake the feeling that just maybe … there’s something wrong with her sister.
Things get worse when the man Korede’s in love with at work falls for her sister. They start dating, and Korede’s afraid it’s only a matter of time before she’s cleaning up his body, too. But what should she do … stand by her her sister as she’s always done or betray her for the man she loves?
This book goes by incredibly fast. The pages are very thick, so it doesn’t actually have that many words. Basically, that makes the pace very quick, and there’s not a lot of time for rest or secondary character development (if at all, actually; secondary characters don’t really have roles to be honest). Not necessarily a bad thing, because the book is really all about the few mains.
The plot and the main characters are gripping, and held my attention all the way through. Though small, the book really doesn’t lose momentum at any spot, it just keeps on driving and gaining speed and drama till the end. So while I have some problems with it, there’s no doubt it’s a good story.
What bothered me though was some problems with tone. There was a very obvious disregard/dislike for sanitation workers and janitors. Korede hated literally Every janitor in the novel, and these workers were all, without exception, lazy and pretty much good-for-nothing people. In fact, Korede was unnecessarily judgemental of everyone, and once equated disability = ugliness, which was … not pleasant. There was also some fatphobia as well, because why not? I know some of this was because she also had some internal issues to figure out but … because that never happened, I was left just having to conclude 1). She was just that judgemental, or 2). This is the way the author herself thinks.
Anyway, it wasn’t a bad book, and I enjoyed most of it -- though that ending … it wasn’t very satisfying! It felt like the feeling when you watch one of those “acclaimed Hollywood films” that just leaves you feeling unsettled at the end -- but some “jokes” left me wanting to close the book for a bit just to get that foul taste out of my mouth.
Content Warnings
Minor: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Ableism, and Classism
amelreads's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Infidelity, Murder, Child abuse, Medical content, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Medical trauma and Classism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, and Ableism
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