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suffering_succotash's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I will say that the prose was quite lovely in some places--one of my favorite sequences simply involved a description of a river, along with some much needed philosophizing. This felt detached from the main character however, with whom I believe this book wanted us to sympathize (I am in no way unfamiliar with gray characters--I love them. The framing, however, suggested that this main character was meant to be read less as gray, and more as "right").
Avery wants to insert herself into a world and a culture that is far removed from her own. As she does this, she wants to be able to speak--quite rudely most times--for, at, and over the voices of those she meets who call that location home.
The narrative wants her to get away with this. Not only that, but it wants for her to be right to do so in the first place. It is a position of unjustified entitlement, and the only way to make it "work" is by cleverly contorting the surrounding world, flattening everyone and everything around her.
Every character from Bardell county suffers because of this, seemingly relative to who Avery's narrative needs them to be. The story is in first person, so it is of course natural that our picture of other characters be filtered through the main character's lens. There is a great difference, however, between a character being filtered through an MC's perspective and a character *being* an MC's perspective on them. Ironically, what results is a situation where one of the most complex characters seems to be Simone's mother, Carole, while one of the flattest characters is Avery's love interest, Simone. Beyond physical traits, Simone winds up being no different from your average shallow, white, cis, hetero romance fantasy's manic pixie dream girl.
If the narrative weren't so hell-bent on shielding Avery from having to learn anything, from having to confront the complexities of her own privilege and spend some time on uncomfortable, but important, introspection, then maybe everyone around her would not have had to feel like convenient platforms and props for her taking. As it stands, however, the story feels like an exercise in appropriation of Drake-ian proportions: co-opting victim narratives that don't belong to you, so you can see yourself as always overcoming the impossible.
In short, an evidently underdeveloped, unnuanced understanding of privilege leaves what ought to be an examination of the nature of justice ringing more like a narcissistic fantasy: a story strung from the perspective of a privileged person who wants to always be "in the right", without question, and especially without the hard work of self-reflection.
cats33's review against another edition
- 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
dhatislandbookworm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Racism
Moderate: Cursing, Death, and Grief
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug use, and Murder
gigireadswithkiki's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Don't get me wrong, the characters are still messy and flawed, making mistakes ranging from staying out of the house until the crack of dawn to having the most extreme type of conflict avoidance ever known to man. But the characters do end up talking to each other with the biggest caveat, which the book addresses, that one conversation isn't enough to undo years upon years of hardship and deep-seeded trauma. Each mistake, each fraught emotion so heavily influenced by intergenerational trauma, was written with such care and nuance, full of justified rage fueled by decades of hurt and grief. I loved Avery, Simone, Zora, Carol, and Letty so so much, their stories were all so rich and complex, and yet shone with complete clarity as their secrets were revealed.
The ending wasn't really my favorite, I'm not a fan of the ending that Jade (and her family) gets but I suppose its nothing if not realistic and true to life! Either way, I'm so glad I was finally able to get around to this book, I've been seeing it everywhere and it was an incredible read.
graceluthart's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bethany6788's review against another edition
- 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
I thought this book was so well written. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out what was going to happen. I was so curious about Avery’s family, and I felt like with every chapter you learned something new that made you think. I loved her relationship with her parents and her growing relationship with her grandmother. I also loved her friendship with Jade and Simone. There was SO much to unpack there. I’d read a whole new book on these characters because they had so much going on.
I thought the story wrapped up so well and I loved how the family came together at the end. The thanksgiving spent at the island that meant so much to Mama Letty had me tearing up. That night at the beach!!
I cannot wait to read Thirsty and see what @jashammonds continues to bring to YA lit. A fantastic book that should definitely be read by as many people as possible!
elisabethp6's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
robinks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Cultural appropriation, Outing, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Death, Racism, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Lesbophobia, Terminal illness, and Grief
Moderate: Biphobia, Child abuse, Abandonment, Cancer, Gun violence, Murder, Police brutality, Cursing, Vomit, Infidelity, and Violence
Minor: Bullying, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Pandemic/Epidemic