Reviews tagging 'Car accident'

Luster by Raven Leilani

16 reviews

madelynfrank's review against another edition

emotional funny fast-paced

• 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

4.0

Writing was gorgeous. Grimy. Other reviews said “sexy” and it’s def M. But sexy doesn’t quite describe. Some really soft and heartbreaking moments. I felt satisfied with the choice of ending. Also check TWs if there’s stuff you look out for, felt like I was checking a lot of boxes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Suicide, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Gun violence, Hate crime, Medical content, Car accident, Eating disorder, Racial slurs, Racism, Body horror, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Classism, Cursing, Gore, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Addiction, Drug abuse, Dysphoria, Toxic relationship, and Violence

armontheroad's review

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

LUSTER was 240 pages of pure brilliance. I don’t think it’s possible for me to compile my thoughts on this book. This novel reminded me a lot of QUEENIE but in a US setting. If you’re interested in stories about young Black women making bad choices and just trying to get through life, I would highly recommend these two. LUSTER is a commentary on trauma. I do not suggest it lightly!! It being queer was also a pleasant surprise.

CWs/TWs: Sexual content, eating disorder behavior, calorie counting, racism, car accident, depression, abortion, ableist language, self-harm, childhood sexual assault, blood, police brutality, domestic abuse, fatphobia, sexual harassment, medical content, body gore, suicide, PTSD, racial slurs, body dysmorphia, TERF language, animal death, animal cruelty, miscarriage, blood, etc. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Fatphobia, Animal cruelty, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Racism, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Car accident, Sexual harassment, Medical content, Body horror, Suicide, Misogyny, Sexual content, Abortion, Self harm, Animal death, and Miscarriage

nightfell's review

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense slow-paced

• 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

5.0

I have no words to encapsulate my experience reading this book. 

I am SHOCKED that this is Leilani's first book and I WILL be reading all her other books. 

Luster is a book about a young woman named Edie who is struggling with her life. She gets into a relationship with a middle aged white man and the book goes into detail about the privilege, race, class, gender and many other themes that come as a result of their relationship as a black woman. 

I related to this book too much. 

The writing is phenomenal. It probably isn't for everyone as it requires the reader to pay rapt attention and digest every single word that is written, but that is why I love it so muc. There were sentences that were paragraphs long, which added to the tone and meanings which were perfectly conveyed. Each subsection was perfection, and after each one I felt the urge to out down the book, and stare at the wall, as each part is so packed with meaning, and intention and precision. 

I'm not smart enough to put down in words how this book made me feel, and to unpack the multitude of the layers this book had, all I can say was that it is a one of a kind, and it was executed so well. PLEASE READ IT. 

It took me over a month and it is just over 200 pages long. That's because I read it during a time where I was already depressed and at times the book got too real for me. Some times I would read it and have to make a choice to keep reading or prioritise my own happiness and wellbeing. But it communicates the type of depression that holds you tightly and is with you always. I don't know If this is making sense but just read it. 

That fact that Raven Leilani sat down and wrote this masterpiece makes me genuinely angry, because how did she write this. More accurately: how can anyone write something this powerful. One of my best books of the year. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Infidelity

Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Pregnancy, Racism, Death, Dysphoria, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Classism, Police brutality, Mental illness, and Miscarriage

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Racial slurs, Car accident, Drug use, Abortion, Physical abuse, and Blood

sib_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Cursing, Death of parent, Medical content, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Infidelity, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Minor: Abandonment, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Rape, Infertility, Addiction, Grief, Cancer, Car accident, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Murder, and Physical abuse

leah_alexandra's review

challenging emotional reflective fast-paced

• 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

5.0

I got this from the library, and was so stunned by it that I might just go out and buy a copy to keep. I thought this was a 4-star book for the first third or so, and then it just ramps right up. The writing is phenomenal, the characters are believable, the emotions are acute. Everything is rendered so finely. Leilani writes sentences that are unique and clearly her own, that a lesser writer would have struggled to make come off so naturally. Nothing felt forced, everything is felt deeply. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Alcoholism, Addiction, Blood, Body shaming, Death of parent, Drug use, Grief, Medical content, Miscarriage, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual violence, and Sexual content

Minor: Animal death, Car accident, Racial slurs, and Infidelity

cheye13's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

4.0

This is a beautifully crafted novel. Every element – stynax, diction, plotline, pacing – is perfect and wholly of the piece itself. Which is why it's practically painful to admit that I didn't like it as much as I wanted to. My disappointments can be entirely contributed to my incorrect expectations. It was much darker, heavier, more melancholy than I was necessarily in the mood for or like to read in general.

My critiques, if implimented, would have ruined the book. There was no thread of whimsy to brighten it, which was intentional. The story didn't really kick off until the mid-point, but the depth of the opening was integral. I preferred reading about Rebecca and Akila and wished Eric were less present, but there would be no Rebecca or Akila in Edie's life without Eric.

This novel portrays the tragedy of Edie's reality in the most beautiful way possible, but the portrayal is too faithful to reality for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Medical content, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Abortion, Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Infertility, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, and Suicide

Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Car accident, Cursing, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Rape, and Vomit