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anygivenmemory'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
3.75
The characters are all flawed. This is not a plot heavy book but rather a character study of both the characters themselves and their relationships with each other. I felt that some aspects of the little plot there was were not addressed and so you weren't quite sure what exactly transpired. For example,
Graphic: Miscarriage, Abortion, Addiction, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
literarylion'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
4.5
- Absolutely staggeringly gorgeous writing
- Rich social commentary that is not didactic or patronizing
- Vivid rendering of characters
- Plot weaved around a bit, not really cohering, but that is to be expected from a character study like this
Moderate: Miscarriage and Racism
Minor: Abortion, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Death of parent, Drug use, Eating disorder, Medical content, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Sexual content, and Suicide
toofondofbooks_'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
4.25
As for drawbacks to this book, I think that more could have happened in the second half and I'm surprised that it didn't. There was a stretch of pages where it seemed like not much of anything was happening, and though I was never *bored* exactly, I was waiting for the pace to pick up.
Overall, this was a really great, quick read, and if you've been thinking about picking it up, here's your sign!
Graphic: Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Police brutality
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Infertility, Murder, Vomit, and War
Minor: Religious bigotry
culown'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? No
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Eating disorder, Hate crime, Infidelity, Medical content, Miscarriage, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
carodonahue's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Infidelity and Miscarriage
Moderate: Addiction, Death of parent, Police brutality, and Racial slurs
Minor: Animal death and Suicide
1414's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death of parent, Suicide, Racism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Blood, Drug use, Miscarriage, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Self harm, and Vomit
elikoch'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
3.75
Moderate: Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Racism, Police brutality, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Medical content, Infidelity, Infertility, Gun violence, Grief, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Eating disorder, and Abortion
gabyaponte's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Miscarriage and Racism
Moderate: Abortion, Addiction, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Alcoholism and Police brutality
tenten's review against another edition
- 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
other times, i read a book like Luster: a book that makes me laugh out loud, cringe with secondhand embarrassment, nod in recognition. a book that makes me really feel, really emote. a book with characters that feel real, that feel like people i know personally. and damn did i know Edie.
a 23-year old black girl who paints and lives a kinda pathetic but surprisingly typical life, Edie enters into a sexual relationship with a married white man who is twice her age. Edie is representation for us hot girls with IBS (see this TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kcunderc0v3r/video/6968468583047351558?lang=en&is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1) Edie is amazing in all her Gen Z glory—and yes, i'm claiming her as Gen Z because the story takes place as early as 2018 and as late as 2019, which makes her around my age—she's broke, she's lacking direction, she's sarcastic and sad and painfully relatable.
when i say her life is kinda pathetic, this is what i mean: after getting fired from her bottom-tier publishing position and replaced by the Other Black Girl in the office, she applies for just about any job she can, including a proofreading position for a gun magazine based in Staten Island and a secretarial one at a clown school in New Jersey. yup, clown school. she considers a dermatologist who has ads all over certain subway lines to be a 'famous person.' she's a hot mess.
i engage in a lot of conversations about black art and its audience. one criticism that people have of some black art —and art by people of color in general—is that some of it can feel like it's written in a way that explains things to folks (read: white people) who wouldn't get it. like, slang is used but also explained when it shouldn't have to be, or a character becomes a mouthpiece for a social issue that real life Black people deal with, or there is a hesitance to portray Black characters in a way that might make them look bad, thus "reinforcing stereotypes." Leilani doesn't seem worried about this.
Edie is not likable. she's nosy, she can be mean and jealous, she's even stalked someone, and trespassed in someone else's home. she has no impulse control. she starts problems. she is the definition of chaotic energy. i have read and wanted to fall in love with far too many stories of Black protagonists who are just too nice, too perfect, too rule-following, too flat, whose lives feel less like lives and more like plot devices. Edie has a life, a sucky one at that. her interactions with others are realistic. the people around her are real, too, not just stock characters that only exist to prove a point. all of the main characters are complex and messy in their own ways and i lived for it.
i also loved the writing style, the stream-of-conscious quality to the narration, the imagery. in my reviews, i tend to focus less on how something is written (style, structure, etc) and more on what is being written about, but Leilani didn't disappoint on either front. i'm looking forward to reading this book again and again again.
Moderate: Abortion, Alcoholism, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Animal death, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, and Suicide
leah_alexandra'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
5.0
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