Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton

17 reviews

jashanac's review against another edition

3.75

I quite enjoyed this -- more than I initially suspected, simply because historical fiction about a made-up rock band just doesn't strike my fancy, as a concept. 

The audiobook is fantastic -- definitely recommend reading it that way if possible! 

I thought the story was interesting and had a lot of nuanced conversations surrounding race and gender, throughout several decades in American history. The characters were compelling, and even the side characters were compelling and I thought really added a lot of depth to the overall story. 

Ultimately though, I'm NOT really "into" rock music like that, so those elements of the story didn't captivate me as much as they probably captivate other readers. And I honestly found a lot of Sunny's portion of the story to be a bit unnecessary, as it stood. I guess I wish we had actually gotten more in-depth with her perspective and her own story. I know that wasn't exactly the point here, but it made it so that any time we stepped out of the Opal and Nev history and into Sunny's current life, I didn't care all that much. 

I also did think that the ending was a bit rushed, but not enough to "ruin" the ending for me. 

Overall I felt like this was immersive (it's true what everyone says -- you forget that these are NOT real people and events...!) and covered some really good conversations and themes, but ultimately it isn't a book I ever see myself re-reading, simply because while I enjoyed my time with it, I didn't LOVE my time with it, probably because I'm just not that "into" rock music and band stories in general! 

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Addiction and Drug abuse

Minor: Sexual harassment and Sexual assault

spookyaz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

3.75

this book was written in such a convincing/interwoven way that I had to stop myself at several points and be like "no, opal & nev was not an actual musical duo"

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Addiction, Alcohol, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Violence, Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, and Injury/Injury detail

kbeucler's review against another edition

4.0

I said above that I’d never read a book formatted like Daisy Jones and the Six. Well, this book is also formatted like that, which did at first make it seem a little less exciting and fresh. But I really liked that this book engaged more with the current events that were happening in the 1970s. It shows the collision of rock and roll and the Civil Rights Movement. I also loved how it explores the difficulties Black women still face and how white silence can be just as insidious as loud, aggressive, in your face white racism.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism

Moderate: Sexism

Minor: Sexual assault

breeinreadingland's review against another edition

informative reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Grief, Racism, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Sexual harassment

readbycarina's review against another edition

emotional tense medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Death, Hate crime, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, and Sexism

Minor: Body shaming, Blood, Misogyny, and Medical content

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

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

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

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.

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

Moderate: Homophobia

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

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

Minor: Rape

endlesstbrlist's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring medium-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Hate crime

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Violence, and Sexism

Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment

andrewhatesham's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Violence