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

This has rightfully been compared to Daisy Jones and the Six, which is why I couldn't give this one 5 stars. I liked that Dawnie Newton tackled the Misogynoir rampant in the 70's (and unfortunately still prevelant today), but the story is told in such a lacksidaisical way, despite the plot itself being intruiging/exciting. I wanted a greater sense of urgency while reading this, but overall I thought the potential was greater than the execution.

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teamstarburger's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

4.75

Loved the depth and fullness the author gave to most all her characters. Really got into the story after about 70 pages.

For all my TJR obsessed friends,
imagine a Daisy Jones type novel that has true racial diversity and development of those characters, not just one checking off the diversity box, paired with a way more engaging plot. This is it.

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meggs1005's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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

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sib_reads's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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

3.5

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lupitabaeyongo's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective tense 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

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mackinseyjoy's review against another edition

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emotional 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? It's complicated

4.25

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kabrahams's review against another edition

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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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thealyssa_ann's review against another edition

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challenging tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Having the story come together through interviews that slowly revealed who the narrator was really fun. And I appreciated how complex the characters were even if something that was supposed to happen in the 70’s was eerily similar to what still regularly happens to Black men.

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