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michaelion's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Passing is a thing that happened and I'm sure there are still many, many quadroons and hexadecaroons walking around without a clue. I've always felt sympathy for the people who passed, and this book definitely gave me a new / another understanding. (I mean, who can be mad at you for wanting better for your life and your family?) To be moved so much by a book show just how good it is. That being said though I do not feel sympathy for Stella!
Graphic: Abandonment, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Grief, Racism, and Outing
Moderate: Sexual assault, Bullying, Classism, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Dysphoria, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Self harm, and Gaslighting
Minor: Terminal illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Stalking, Blood, Deadnaming, and Medical content
cakrolik's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Classism, Grief, and Racism
Moderate: Dementia, Death of parent, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Dysphoria, Racial slurs, Hate crime, and Sexism
something_magnetism's review
- 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
I have finished this book and am still thinking about it, noodling if you will, continuing to find (new) meaning…
Graphic: Physical abuse, Murder, Grief, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Alcohol, Violence, Racism, and Death
lindseyhall44's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Death, Bullying, Abandonment, Classism, Hate crime, Murder, Racism, Racial slurs, and Transphobia
yliana's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
characters I liked: jude, reese, desiree, early, barry
characters i didn't like: kennedy, blake (had to look his name up cuz i couldn't remember lmfao)
and i honestly am on the fence about Stella
i was really surprised when we were introduced to Reese. I've heard a lot about this book since it came out but no one ever really talks about him. From a cis pov, i thought his character was treated fairly well. we were thankfully not subjected to any hate he might've received in his life for being trans. i was happy that we got to see his happiness with jude.
fuck stella's husband, he's a piece of shit. and honestly fuck kennedy too. she gave me bad vibes throughout every scene she's in. i couldn't stand when it was said that she would call her boyfriend the n word because he asked her to like what the actual fuck is that?! i also totally agreed with Stella when she was thinking about how bullshit it was that kennedy was given absolutely everything she could've ever needed and instead of taking advantage of her privileges and advantages, she just threw them away. it's one thing to be passionate about the arts and want to pursue acting and another to end up on ACADEMIC PROBATION when you have every possibility to just fucking make it through high school. especially when jude had to work her absolute ass off to reach medical school and started way, way below kennedy. I just really couldn't stand her and she never even ends up doing anything that she seems to find particularly fulfilling, we just see her be a selfish brat and then just continue being fake for the rest of her life. i'm 100% on the kennedy hate train tbh.
i did really like jude though. I thought it was really sweet and heartbreaking at the same time how desperate she was to find Stella, for both herself and desiree. her and reese are so good for each other and i love how supportive they are towards each other too.
stella...idk. i feel so bad for her because of the sexual harassment and abuse she dealt with when she was working for the Duponts. half of me understands her motives for choosing to live as a white woman but i really just can't get behind her hatred for Black people after she makes that decision. it just feels so icky to me that she was okay with leaving her family and ESPECIALLY desiree, who she very clearly had such a strong love for (i mean, they're twins). and i cannot for the life of me understand WHY she would marry her husband when she literally said she feels scared around him sometimes because he looks like the assholes who lynched her dad. like?!?! it was just really sad to see the way she internalized the racism that she witnessed in mallard so i have a hard time disliking her but i can't say that i like her very much either.
this book was just so so heavy. it was definitely good and i think it was well written but yeah just pretty sad. and honestly the trigger warnings list is gonna be so long.
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Racism, Physical abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Cursing, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, and Dementia
Minor: Sexual content, Deadnaming, and Violence
anna_catherine73'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: Racism and Abandonment
Moderate: Medical content, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Dementia, Death, Physical abuse, Dysphoria, and Grief
shannnne_reads_words's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs
Moderate: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Sexism, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Hate crime, Dementia, Terminal illness, Bullying, Classism, Medical content, and Sexual content
amorales107's review
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, and Grief
blymanor's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Hate crime, Grief, Dementia, Dysphoria, Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual content, Abandonment, and Alcohol
angievansprang's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Racism, Abandonment, Classism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Sexual assault, Hate crime, Racial slurs, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Toxic relationship and Death of parent