Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour

28 reviews

erinoco's review against another edition

emotional 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Moderate: Drug use, Drug abuse, and Terminal illness

kell_xavi's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

3.0

Nina LaCour is skilled at writing teenage girls and grief. The synopsis of Yerba Buena felt a lot different from her young adult work, but the writing style, that slow fluidity of language, the skill and noticing, expanding of the characters, is consistent with LaCour’s previous work. This novel starts in a familiar place, with two teenage girls experiencing strong emotions and traumatic events, and it grows in a new way: how does grief, love, anger, trauma show up over years, across spaces and jobs and interests and people. 

The strength of this book for me isn’t that it move away from the audience LaCour has previously written for, but that it takes that seed of youth and stretches it a little further. This book allows curiosity and restlessness to lead to contentment, allows past events to be difficult while fading into the background, allows more responsibility and decision-making for the characters and those they know. 

I didn’t personally relate to this novel as much as I did to We Are Okay. I was an often saddened and felt heavy with the events and characterization. I wasn’t strongly attached to Sara or Emilie, and their friends and family—Colette, Pablo, Alice, Jacob, Spencer, Annie (side note: I hope this is a reference to Nancy Garden?)—were disappointingly blank façades, sketches. There wasn’t much to breathe into beyond cocktails and decor. There was a continued sense, not so much of uncertainty, as a belief in failure. I hope others find something special in this book, and I think the potential is there, but I’m not the right person. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death

Moderate: Addiction, Terminal illness, Pedophilia, Infidelity, and Drug use

Minor: Medical content

overdose

rgibbons's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.5

This book started out rough with very emotional and challenging life situations and didn't really improve from there. Just too heavy for me

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse, Death, Trafficking, Terminal illness, Alcohol, and Sexual violence

Minor: Homophobia

lynxpardinus's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Medical content, Death of parent, Mental illness, Addiction, Child death, Drug use, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Sexual violence, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Sexual content, Trafficking, Vomit, Alcoholism, Terminal illness, and Racism

Minor: Violence, Confinement, and War

ienbdri's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

3.75

Was this book realistic or perfect? No. Is it a good read for when you need a sapphic relationship and people that successfully battle their childhood demons? Absolutely. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, and Drug use

Minor: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, and Terminal illness

janicew9's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Drug use, Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Death of parent, and Death

Moderate: Addiction

Minor: Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Death of parent

zarap's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

One of my favorite books of this year so far. Nina LaCour's writing isn't embellished or flashy, and it doesn't need to be. Sara and Emilie pulled me in from the beginning and I loved getting to know them better and then finally seeing them start to grow together. There's a lot of darkness in places, especially in the beginning (check CWs), but also so much warmth and light and healing. Not a perfect novel perhaps, but perfect for me. If Nina LaCour decides to write copy for cereal boxes, I'm there (but I'd definitely prefer novels). 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Grief, and Death

Moderate: Drug abuse, Rape, Infidelity, and Addiction

Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Blood

lacey_wi's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death, Blood, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Pedophilia, Murder, Sexual assault, Rape, Cancer, Abandonment, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, and Child death

Moderate: Homophobia and Dementia

aquariusisms's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Sexual content, and Terminal illness

mjwhitlock18's review against another edition

challenging emotional medium-paced

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

5.0

This is a story about two messy, starcrossed women who weave in and out of each other’s lives, and how their pasts, traumas, triumphs, and insecurities influence how they interact with the world and each other. These characters are so full and real with their own complex stories, independent of each other. It’s beautiful and tragic, heart breaking but somehow hopeful. This leans heavily literary and away from contemp romance, but if you want sad sapphic girl energy but with a not sad ending, this one is for you. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Infidelity, Addiction, Death, and Alcohol

Moderate: Pedophilia, Death of parent, Grief, and Sexual assault

Minor: Terminal illness