Reviews

Vinyl Moon by Mahogany L. Browne

okevamae's review against another edition

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5.0

After a violent incident with her boyfriend Darius, Angel’s mom sent her away from their northern California home to live with her uncle in Brooklyn. Now, she’s trying to make her way in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people, while at the same time trying to heal, both physically and mentally, from her trauma.

This short, beautiful novel stitches together brief vignettes, all written from the point of view of Angel, along with several poems and a few text exchanges. As the book progresses, the nature of the “incident” and the abusive relationship that led to it becomes clear, as do her feelings of guilt, self-doubt, grief, anger, and resentment, as well as her PTSD. But Angel finds hope and life in the books that she reads – powerful works by female authors of color like The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison – and in the music she listens to. This book is in part a love letter to books and music, and the powerful effect they can have on our lives. She also learns a lot about how to love herself by finding people who love and support her in healthier ways than she is used to.

Representation: People of color, black main and side characters and other POCs, lesbian and bisexual characters, main character has PTSD

CW: Domestic violence and abusive relationships

I received a advance copy of this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

4rtpop's review against another edition

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2.0

the writing style was quite good, although i am not a fan of poems. for me, this was not easy to read, despite it being so short. i must say this book was a bit boring imo so i am kind of disappointed :( i might check out other books by this author though!

lanternsjourney's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring sad fast-paced

3.0

I loved the poetry but the story needed a little work. The characters didn't feel developed enough for me.

sienna_canread's review against another edition

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3.0

It was a short read and I like it.

jane_bee28's review against another edition

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  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.0

sweetrosegirl76's review against another edition

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3.0

It's a good story, though I would have loved more poems. I found myself getting distracted and bored with this one. I didn't resonate with a lot of this, but that's okay. Not everything is for everyone. This is great for the kids who had to grow up too fast to raise children that weren't theirs.

bklvr08's review against another edition

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4.0

Listening to this book felt like I read this book before but In a different font.

neetjereads's review against another edition

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4.0

A hidden gem

liftyourheavyeyelids's review against another edition

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5.0

A friend who happens to also be a fellow teen librarian recommend this book to me. I started reading it not knowing what to expect but I absolutely LOVED it. I read a library copy, but I want to go buy my own copy and highlight and underline so much. Def gonna also buy a copy for my library.

I love the writing style, the fact that it’s a modern book about modern teens who talk like modern teens with their interests is so refreshing. It’s so original, and is both a book lovers book and a music lovers book. I wanna go back and read all the authors mentioned throughout and I wanna listen to the playlists!!!

readwithtre's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective fast-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