Reviews with content warning for Racial slurs - The Final Revival of Opal & Nev

I really liked the framing structure of the book and the way the narrator became part of the story. i liked the synergy between the past and present. i liked how the incident at the core of the story drove the characters and how it seeped into their life. perhaps the reason it’s not five stars is i felt that something’s could have been explored more explicitly in the story. i wish we could have seen more of Opal and Nev’s interactions with one another than we got in the book.

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cursedkirst's review against another edition

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reflective sad tense 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

3.0

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katiearcher's review against another edition

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inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.25

If you’re a fan Daisy Jones and the Six then you will really enjoy The Final Revival of Opal and Nev! Very similar vibe and format. The audiobook has a great cast and is very engaging.

My biggest complaint and the only reason it wasn’t higher, is that it took too long for me to get into it. The first half is a little slow but the second half is much more engaging and fast paced. And by then I actually care about the characters. There are a lot of characters to keep track of and it was hard to care in the beginning when we’re jumping around so much and I don’t know any of them so I don’t care. But once I got into it, I really enjoyed it.

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onlinesah's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny inspiring reflective 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

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wellreadmegs's review against another edition

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challenging emotional medium-paced

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

5.0

First of all let's start with the fact that everyone compares this to Daisy Jones & The Six - which I also loved but besides the time period and the style in which this book is written, that's where the comparison stops. I believe both books can really stand out on their own & this one respectfully has a lot more substance & I had to google so many times to convince myself this wasn't a real story because it felt like it.

The way Walton incorporated real references and storylines (especially in the footnotes) with such detail - it felt impossible that it wasn't based on a true story. On top of that, add the personal layer of why Sunny wanted to interview and write this book in the first place, and I was convinced it was real life.

There are so many layers to this book and the perfect microcosm of society not only in the 60s & 70s but as the book references in 2016. The intersectionality of race, politics, & music were all touched in this book.

I listened to the audiobook while reading along and I simply cannot recommend the audiobook enough. It was done by a full cast & even some of the songs were sung instead of just reading the lyrics. It made for such an impactful and immersive read. I cannot recommend it enough.

I will say there were a few slow parts in the beginning and keeping the characters straight at first was confusing but mid-way through you understood everyone's role. I think that's also what helps with the audiobook - to distinguish voices and accents.

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