Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

6 reviews

wellreadmegs's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

This book has been on my TBR forever and I finally dove into this one. It took me a while to get into I'm not going to lie. There was a lot of backstory and world-building in the beginning. I feel like the juiciest parts of the book didn't happen until 200 pages in. But once we got to the mystery part of the book I was hooked and wanted to know how it would end. Because things started moving so quickly in the plot toward the end I was concerned about how they were going to sort everything out in the last 35 pages. 

I appreciate books like this that tell a story about a real part of history. I didn't know anything about the Tennessee Children's Home Society Orphanage in Memphis in the 1930s. It's obviously atrocious and a terrible thing to happen but I can't help but think about the South and its parallels to slavery. This book clearly didn't touch that subject but it's the same atrocities & parallels to me. 

Overall I learned something new reading this book & appreciated the story. I just wish it would have picked up quicker the first 50 pages were incredible slow. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Moderate: Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Alcohol and Alcoholism

sarah_amy's review

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

This book both had and broke my heart. I cared so much about Rill/May, her siblings and all the other children, and Avery's investigation among it all. I went in completely blind with this book, so was floored to know this is based on real events and that Georgia Tann was the person behind all the horror. I was less interested in the political side of it all and the romance felt a bit forced (not a bad match, just unnecessary). It would have been a 5 star on the investigation and flashbacks to Rill/May's past alone, but the politics/romance almost felt like I was being interrupted by a side story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Domestic abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Torture, and Racism

Moderate: Death of parent, Slavery, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dementia, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Cursing, Rape, Confinement, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Gaslighting, Bullying, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Violence

Based on the child trafficking/illegal adoption agency of Georgia Tann. Lots of details of abuse and allusions to death that went on in the foster homes involved. Many of these children were adopted out illegally and without the consent of the birth parents - some were outright stolen like in this story.

kartrikk's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative sad 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? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Classism, Adult/minor relationship, and Abandonment

sarahflanders's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Confinement, Dementia, Forced institutionalization, Cancer, Child abuse, Classism, Child death, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, and Alcohol

boonenatural's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative mysterious sad medium-paced

• 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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Trafficking, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual assault

ladev12's review

adventurous dark informative sad tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Trafficking, and Alcoholism