Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Your Driver Is Waiting by Priya Guns

47 reviews

platypusinrainboots's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Classism, and Deportation

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, and Police brutality

sarah984's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

This modern-day reimagining of Taxi Driver blisters right along Damani's wild, self-destructive path, but I felt like it pulled back a little too much in what should have been its biggest moment. Loved the ending, though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia, Mental illness, Stalking, Violence, Classism, Deportation, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny

Minor: Animal death, Cultural appropriation, Self harm, Ableism, Alcohol, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, and Police brutality

floral_heckler's review

challenging dark funny 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Deportation, Racism, and Police brutality

muddymind's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

I have never in my life read such a tender book. I laughed, I cried, I gasped in horror, I cringed, I cussed out the characters (well, really only one of them…) but most importantly I grew to love Damani because of all her complexities. Priya Guns is a voice all of her own. I’m so excited to see where she goes & what she writes in the future. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Islamophobia, Mental illness, Violence, Death of parent, and Racism

Moderate: Sexual content and Stalking

helenskiii's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Classism, Violence, Deportation, Death of parent, Car accident, and Drug use

lucylou's review

dark tense fast-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

3.0

How unhinged and fairly unpredictable our main character is makes the book something I needed to devour in one sitting. Like other reviews, I wish the author had let us glimpse more into what Damani was thinking, especially when it came to Jolene. We get that she’s as bright as the sun, but how did you feel about her allyship? The pacing was also confusing, but with such short chapters I just pushed through. The last third of the novel made it worth the read, but even then it was vaguer than I would’ve liked.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Vomit

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Deportation, Death of parent, Islamophobia, Police brutality, Sexual content, and Racism

poisoned_icecream's review against another edition

funny hopeful reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Police brutality

Moderate: Deportation

courtofsmutandstuff's review

dark slow-paced

3.5

This book is why I don’t DNF books. I picked it up for the “feminist Taxi Driver” hype, but the first half of the book is all slice of life, and while Damani has an interesting life (interior and exterior), nothing was really happening and her romance with Jo wasn’t enough to grip me. About two thirds of the way through though the plot actually starts to happen -

with Jo calling the cops on the spot Damani and her friends are at

and that’s when the book started to grip me. I enjoyed the unraveling (for lack of a better word) of Damani but also the Peak White Feminism (and Activism) of Jo. I liked the critique but the slowness of the first half was an issue for me. 
Also - the ending!!

very Sopranos and I so desperately want to know exactly what she did to Jo - I’m assuming she attacked her but I wanted to see it and HATE that THAT moment was when it cut out

.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Racism

faeriviera's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense 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? Yes

4.0

A solid commentary on how our various social problems are connected, and especially about how one must be wary of performative activism. The only downside is I didn't really buy the romance.

Even if I hadn't known Jolene would betray her somehow, I wouldn't have gotten why Damani was so obsessed with her, and if I did, Jolene calling the cops on her friends would have packed even more of an emotional punch, rather than having me just grumble, "I knew it..." I'll also admit the openended ending didn't really work for me.

In spite of those flaws, this is highly recommended for those looking for catharsis as it seems like society is descending into its worst impulses. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Grief, and Excrement

Moderate: Classism, Racism, and Death of parent

Minor: Animal death

nataliebootlah's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

 

When I skimmed the description, I somehow mixed up Taxi Driver with Baby Driver so I was expecting more of an action-packed-bank-robbery situation. 

 

What I got instead was the dark, satirical commentary of a bi woman working long hours, caring for her grieving mother, and dreaming of a better life. Despite needing to take necessary precautions to stay safe throughout the night, she meets new people and eventually meets Jolene. And so begins their whirlwind love affair. 

 

It touches on political unrest, white saviorism, exploitation of workers, and grief. There were parts I liked and parts that fell flat. It was a love-hate relationship. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Cursing, and Grief

Moderate: Sexual assault, Violence, Racism, Death of parent, and Mental illness

Minor: Deportation