Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

16 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

ladyaligator's review against another edition

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, Grief, Trafficking, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Infertility and Dementia

Minor: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Rape, Racism, Pedophilia, Addiction, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, and Police brutality

pferdina's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Based on true horrors of the abduction and sale of children in Memphis Tennessee between 1920 and 1950, the novel alternates back and forth in time. One story follows the Depression era story of Rill Foss and her siblings, taken from their family houseboat and then adopted by various people. Only three of them find each other again. The other story is Avery Stafford, daughter of a senator and the one who discovers her grandmother’s true history while struggling to figure out who she wants to be.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Pedophilia, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Dementia, Pregnancy, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Classism, and Physical abuse

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.

jamiejanae_6's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Grief, Physical abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Fire/Fire injury

chelle22's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Bullying, Cancer, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Child abuse, Child death, Dementia, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Rape, Murder, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and Violence

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

trinloyd's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I thoroughly enjoyed this book way more than I anticipated. It is heartbreaking and gut wrenching, and so well written. The author did a beautiful job telling this story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Medical content, Alcohol, Cancer, Child abuse, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Murder, Kidnapping, Infertility, Racism, Alcoholism, Classism, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Suicidal thoughts, and Gaslighting

bailsoutbooks's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Classism, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Child death, and Rape

Minor: Dementia, Grief, Alcohol, and Death of parent

holliebye's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Addiction, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual assault, Dementia, Excrement, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Miscarriage, Murder, and Trafficking

Moderate: Cancer