Reviews tagging 'Death'

Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour

207 reviews

mx_sunshine's review against another edition

dark hopeful reflective sad 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

3.0

I love the relaxing way Nina LaCour describes spaces. I love how the passions of the main characters were explored. Nina conveys her great appreciation of beauty through her writing. Buildings, drinks, and flowers are romantically described.
I appreciate the many different life events Nina covered. Death, grief, trauma, moving and heartache. I liked the pace of the book. I was surprised at how dark the content was in the beginning.
I feel like side characters weren’t fleshed out beyond their relationship to the main characters. 
I would’ve liked to read more about how Emilie and Sarah supported each other. I feel like I understood their passions as a reader, but I would’ve liked the characters to express their admiration for each other.
I really enjoyed Emilie’s development over the book.
Emilie and Sarah spend more time apart in the novel than together. I feel like Sarah was 
It would have been interesting to see how Emilie and Sarah discuss and reflect on their class differences. There was a lot of emphasis on Emilie’s immigrant grandparents. But she grew up in a home where she was financially supported. She spends years as an undergraduate in university and finishes with a degree that she doesn’t use.
Sarah mentions she read books that were on a university list.
I want to know how Spencer is doing. It feels like characters are given a happy ending through the establishment of a relationship. 
I thought the way Collette’s retreat couldn’t be defined was strange. It felt like an easy way to rush character development.
Emilie’s and Sarah’s experiences with drugs was used as a similarity between them. But this history wasn’t expanded on in how they managed that in the present.
There seems to be a lot of unhealed trauma in this book that people aren’t seeking help for. This makes me wary to accept the “happy” ending.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Death, Sexual assault, Addiction, Death of parent, Abandonment, Drug abuse, Alcohol, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Cursing

shannahtan's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful fast-paced

4.5

I personally loved this book. I was immediately drawn in and didn’t want to put it down. I read that Emilie’s family is based on Nina LaCour’s dad’s family, which is a fun tidbit. I heard this was LaCour’s first adult novel, and I thought it was wonderful. I loved We Are Not Okay as well.

I could relate to Emilie’s wandering as she was trying out different majors and jobs. Her relationship with her family ebbs and flows. She is forgotten then loved them left. I think both Sara and Emilie are imperfect, and in some ways, that makes them more loveable.

It’s a heart wrenching story with a silver lining at the end. Plus sapphic love. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Drug abuse, and Pedophilia

Minor: Death of parent, Death, and Child death

ada_rosales's review against another edition

challenging fast-paced

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Abandonment, Child death, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Death, Sexual content, Drug abuse, Rape, Grief, Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, and Pedophilia

ohmygoshtosh's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Child death, Sexual content, Death, Drug abuse, Addiction, Grief, Death of parent, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Medical content, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness

Minor: Racism, Alcoholism, Cancer, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence

republicofben's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

What an incredible, reflective book! This isn't just a romance novel, plus one could argue the romance isn't actually the main focus of Sara and Emilie's stories. This book had a much more serious, sad tone than I expected, particularly early on. Make sure you go into this book looking for this kind of story, but I'm the right mindset it's a great read.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Grief

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Abandonment, and Self harm

Minor: Terminal illness, Car accident, Child abuse, Body horror, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

col3bri's review against another edition

I did not enjoy the narrator. But the stopping point for me was when one of the characters started a relationship with a married man. Main character chearing is an absolute no for me.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction and Death

waterbear0821's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

4.0

A lot of the content of this book is quite dark, but the book on a whole is sweet and easy to read and satisfying.  Beyond the story of the two main characters, their families and friends are interesting and add to the story. I enjoyed how both place and culture were important to the story. I also enjoyed all the talk about food and drinks. I’m not sure that this book will stick with me -it didn’t bowl me over or teach me something- but it was enjoyable. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Drug use, and Addiction

Moderate: Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Infidelity

stephyrm's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Sexual content, Grief, Drug abuse, Addiction, Child death, and Death

Moderate: Death of parent

ashp's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective slow-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

4.0

A slow burn of a story with compelling character development and lush locations. Emilie and Sarah have two completely different upbringings yet are intertwined by creativity and love. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction and Death

allcavesin's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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

3.5

Made me feel things
More about found family and finding your purpose and closure after grief than romance, which was nice. 
Loved that it was a bi woman and a lesbian, I need more of that pairing I think. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Addiction