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tamtasticbooks's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-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
Tilla is a teenager who just wants her father to love her as much as she has always loved him. This summer, she and her little sister go to Jamaica to stay with him and his extended family to get to know them better. Immediately her dad leaves to go to work in town for the week, leaving Tilla to navigate this unknown land and family and their harshness alone. She strikes up friendships and more-but there is disaster hidden in each choice. Not to mention the fact that it's hurricane season.
I wanted the world for Tilla and the author crafted a beautiful, heartbreaking story with complex characters. Both the places and the people felt real and alive. The story moved along quickly and was engaging the whole time. I didn't want to put it down. There is so much sadness in the story, but also a good amount of hope. It balances out fairly well at the end. I felt really emotionally attached to characters, which I love. This book also deals with complex issues-learning a new culture, learning family secrets, racism, and abuse among other things. It doesn't skim over the hard parts, but treats them seriously and realistically, which made the story even more emotional and beautiful.
Thank you to Netgalley for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I wanted the world for Tilla and the author crafted a beautiful, heartbreaking story with complex characters. Both the places and the people felt real and alive. The story moved along quickly and was engaging the whole time. I didn't want to put it down. There is so much sadness in the story, but also a good amount of hope. It balances out fairly well at the end. I felt really emotionally attached to characters, which I love. This book also deals with complex issues-learning a new culture, learning family secrets, racism, and abuse among other things. It doesn't skim over the hard parts, but treats them seriously and realistically, which made the story even more emotional and beautiful.
Thank you to Netgalley for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse, Racism, and Rape
caitlindee's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
>>Alright here we go. First things first, I won an advanced copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway - I don't know if that's relevant but I figured I would make that known. Second thing, CONTENT WARNINGS. This book covers a lot of topics and I wanted to bring those to light so you can be informed before going into the book (I'm not saying don't read the book, I'm just saying heavy shit happens and content warnings are important). SO.
>>Content Warnings: domestic violence, physical/emotional/verbal abuse, sexual assault/rape depicted on-page, sexual harassment, colorism, sexism/misogyny/slut-shaming, classism, as well as a character death.
>>Now onto the review. I got so incredibly angry at this book on behalf of the main character, and I think the author did a great job in connecting you to her life, her emotions, her pain, and her journey. This book addresses so many different topics and sometimes that can make a book feel all over the place, but I didn't feel that way at all. The important topics were seamlessly inputted into the story and made sense given the experiences the main character was going through. I wish that there had been somewhat more of a "resolution" to some of the negative experiences that she went through, but I also think realistically, not everything gets resolved the way that we want it to (and I also believe this resembles some of the author's personal experiences) and that's unfortunate, but it's how things are sometimes. I really appreciated the author including the Patois dictionary at the beginning of the book - it was very helpful to read that beforehand and it helped me a lot to pick up and understand the language while reading. It definitely became second nature very quickly in the book and was not a hindrance at all, and added a lot to the story.
>>Overall, I thought this book was a stunning coming-of-age story and I would definitely recommend it!
>>Content Warnings: domestic violence, physical/emotional/verbal abuse, sexual assault/rape depicted on-page, sexual harassment, colorism, sexism/misogyny/slut-shaming, classism, as well as a character death.
>>Now onto the review. I got so incredibly angry at this book on behalf of the main character, and I think the author did a great job in connecting you to her life, her emotions, her pain, and her journey. This book addresses so many different topics and sometimes that can make a book feel all over the place, but I didn't feel that way at all. The important topics were seamlessly inputted into the story and made sense given the experiences the main character was going through. I wish that there had been somewhat more of a "resolution" to some of the negative experiences that she went through, but I also think realistically, not everything gets resolved the way that we want it to (and I also believe this resembles some of the author's personal experiences) and that's unfortunate, but it's how things are sometimes. I really appreciated the author including the Patois dictionary at the beginning of the book - it was very helpful to read that beforehand and it helped me a lot to pick up and understand the language while reading. It definitely became second nature very quickly in the book and was not a hindrance at all, and added a lot to the story.
>>Overall, I thought this book was a stunning coming-of-age story and I would definitely recommend it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Grief, and Body shaming
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