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lilaccoconut's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
The Soli side frustrated me. Her story was (or would be) more moving, but it fell flat. Randomly placed Spanish words for no apparent reason other than to lend "authenticity" but not really (plus simple, infuriating mistakes in Spanish), glossing over important details toward the end, neglecting her in the middle,
The other major issue I had was how heavy-handed everything was. If I'm honest, I'm picky about my books. The language in this one was too flowery for my taste from the beginning, and way too explanatory. As in, the author had a message she wanted to get across and she didn't want readers to misunderstand it, so she spelled it out. Multiple times. With quippy, cliché lines. It felt like I was being looked down on. I want authors to trust readers!
However, if you like that, and if you like all the loose ends to be resolved by the end of a novel, give it a shot. You might like it more than I did ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Deportation, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Kidnapping
Minor: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Infidelity
skudiklier's review
- 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
Graphic: Child death, Infertility, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Ableism, Abortion, Car accident, Cursing, Grief, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Vomit, and Xenophobia
Minor: Abandonment, Blood, Islamophobia, Slavery, and Stalking
Minor spoilers ahead:books_and_mags's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Abortion, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racism, and Gun violence
thatsssorachael's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
I loved it, but it was incredibly bleak. Significantly bleaker than the synopsis wants you to believe. There is a lot of rape in this novel, so if that triggers you I'd avoid this one.
Soli and Kavya are real, imperfect, sometimes unlikeable, often baffling characters. I liked them and their development. I never got the vibe that Kavya actually liked her husband, Rishi, but maybe that was just my perception.
I really enjoyed how morally ambiguous it is. The author allows the reader to come to their own decisions on what is right or wrong, and I really respect that this wasn't a highly politicized novel despite being about immigration at its forefront.
This is extremely relevant to our world today, but it's also a good look at what the USA's immigration policies and practices were under the Obama administration. It's honestly eye opening. The author did a ton of research for this book, and it shows on every page.
Highly recommend
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Infertility
Moderate: Miscarriage, Racism, and Police brutality
knkoch's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Rape, Violence, Infertility, Confinement, and Miscarriage
Tough read in terms of rape, immigration, and immigrant detention. Also infertility and pregnancy loss.