Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton

84 reviews

antonique_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Death of parent

prettycloud's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense 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

This book is so compelling. So concise and yet with such gorgeous visuals and descriptions of music, so focused and yet so devoted to the nuances of the story and the supporting cast. It reads like a book written by a journalist, asking important questions and pushing the reader to think critically, but never dragging the way more self-indulgent literary books do. It focuses on racism, sexism, misogynoir, and the far-reaching effects of structural inequality and subcultural resistance, and yet it comes off emotionally real rather than preachy. If you liked "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo," you're likely to get a lot out of this one too.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Terminal illness, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Misogyny, Blood, and Pregnancy

Minor: Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Car accident, Abortion, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

This book is ultimately more adventurous than dark in tone, so though it shows racist violence and bigoted attitudes, it lingers more on subcultural connection, healing, and inspiration. The book centers around the death of the narrator's Black father during the riot that launched the eponymous band to stardom, and the narrator's ongoing quest to learn more about that night and its key players. One of the key players is at the time of narration dying of cancer. There is a twist related to that night, but no surprise violence or illness or anything.

kabrahams's review against another edition

4.0

This is a book that was meant to be read as an audiobook. An ambitious journalist attempts to follow a story close to her own heart about an African American woman (Opal) and a white British man (Nev) who made it big in the punk rock scene and whose their career was influenced by the murder of their bandmate Jim (who was also the journalist's dad). 

My only issue was with the plot and pacing. Some parts were riveting but were followed by much less interesting passages. The ending felt anticlimactic and I think some of the reveals about Jim's death could have been left towards nearer to the end. 

Overall, a fascinating read about the intersection of music and activism. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism

Moderate: Drug abuse and Murder

anglefish's review against another edition

emotional inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

• 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

5.0

This book was INCREDIBLE! Couldn’t put this book down.  From the first few pages, I was googling to make sure that this was actually fiction and I hadn’t missed out on a badass Black woman like Opal Jewel. I wanted to go to a record store and find this music to listen to with my own ears. It honestly makes me sad that she’s not real 🥲 I loved how immersive this book is, the interview style let’s you do exposition in a different way that I really enjoyed. Opal and Nev as a duo in the early 70s really had my heart, I was sure that they might’ve been romantically involved. 

But after learning about the Confederate flag allegation, and seeing his reaction to what happen to Jamilah at the reunion concert, I can’t look at Nev the same. I personally feel like he did it, he’s always been so motivated by the music and fame that he would do what he had to do to get ahead. 🤷🏾‍♀️ It could’ve been his jealousy of Jimmy , who knows. Even if he didn’t do it, his reaction at the concert speaks a lot to his character and a lot of people’s attitudes when it comes Black Struggles. They claim to be there and support when they can but when it’s time to put your money where your mouth is, this alleged support is nowhere to be found.

Getting to know this cast of characters was a beautiful experience that I’ll keep with me for a long time and recommend to anyone who’ll hear me!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Drug abuse

jennikreads's review against another edition

fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Toxic friendship

amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Homophobia

caseythereader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• 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

5.0

 - THE FINAL REVIVAL OF OPAL AND NEV is one of those books that feels so real you can't believe it's fiction. I kept wanting to listen to these songs and look up the photos and album covers described.
- I listened to the audiobook, which is read by a full cast: a uniquely all-encompassing experience for a book written in an oral history format.
- It's funny and glam, and also serious and sad. So much is covered in this book that's ostensibly about rock and roll excess. You'll be thinking about Opal and her life for years to come. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

laguerrelewis's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective 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? Yes

5.0

This book pulls you IN. As a documentary lover this was a new kind of reading experience for me, but I hope to find more books in this style—and hopefully on a similar level of craft. Walton’s use of history, both real and fictionalized, is masterful. This really does feel like a tell all that would blow up and be the talk of twitter for weeks on end. If you like documentaries, Black activism, rock, music, or stories about making sense of your past, Read This Book!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Police brutality, Grief, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

morganperks's review against another edition

emotional funny informative 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

4.0

The full cast audiobook was riveting. With all the real names mixed in, I had to keep reminding myself that this was a fictional l story. It's unfortunate that this book keeps getting compared to Daisy Jones because Opal and Nev is its own story. It dives deep into racism, sexism, and social justice in the music industry. Something about the pacing was off. There were a few parts that dragged. Overall it was a great book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Addiction, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Police brutality

Minor: Rape

katsbooks's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-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? It's complicated

3.5

"I believe in myself above all.”

“I got a better question for you. Why are you so deeply invested in proving I'm scared? Does a Black person showing they're scared make you feel safer? I suggest you sit back and interrogate that.”

The format of this book was super cool and intriguing. I really loved how it made me feel like I was really hearing the characters and getting to know them yet somehow also kept them at arm's length. It was hard to truly like any of the characters. I felt like it helped it feel like they were real people. Every person had their own imperfections and flaws that made them feel more realistic. I felt like the social commentary was really impactful, as well. It was really interesting to read a story about the artistic and creative labor of black women and how it's been exploited throughout history. I struggled with the ending a little bit. I wanted a bigger conclusion and resolution. I wanted everything for Opal. But on the other hand, would that have made it less realistic? This isn't one of those books that necessarily has a nice happy bow tying up all the loose ends. It's fiction but I've already stated that I liked how realistic it was. Perhaps, the real world is what actually disappoints me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Cursing, Grief, and Alcohol

Minor: Injury/Injury detail