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princess_marie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Antisemitism, Addiction, and Racism
Moderate: Alcohol, Misogyny, Racial slurs, and Homophobia
Minor: Infidelity, Religious bigotry, and Sexual content
nbreezy17's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Antisemitism, Infidelity, Classism, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Cursing, Drug use, Body shaming, Sexual content, Racism, Racial slurs, and Addiction
woolfinbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Racism, Ableism, Alcohol, Antisemitism, Infidelity, Drug use, Alcoholism, Addiction, and Drug abuse
jkull_10'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Religious bigotry, Body shaming, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Classism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Addiction, and Adult/minor relationship
uhhlexiconic's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Moderate: Sexual content, Classism, Addiction, Racism, Drug use, Alcohol, and Infidelity
crizzle's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Drug use, Sexual content, Addiction, Drug abuse, and Cursing
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Antisemitism
Minor: Cancer
vera_nikolajevna's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Drug use
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Alcohol, and Antisemitism
jillgoober's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book was definitely more about the atmosphere and MJ's character development than the plot. You get to see how she changes and makes new realizations about herself and the world based on what she's seeing in the Cone household. The only small issue I had with this book was that I thought the ending with her mom was a bit far-fetched (but maybe I'm just cynical).
Graphic: Racism, Addiction, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Sexual content, Drug abuse, and Alcohol
stepnic's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content and Infidelity
Moderate: Drug use, Racism, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Cursing, Drug abuse, and Mental illness
Minor: Classism, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Cancer, and Alcoholism
bookbelle5_17's review
- 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
By: Jessica Anya Blau
I have some knowledge of the 70s through my parents having grown up then, like Mary Jane, and through the history from movies and shows. Reading this novel, I did recognize some of the music and knew a little history about this time period. Mary Jane is a 14-year-old in the 70s living in Baltimore Maryland with conservative parents. She’s in choir at church and loves cooking with her mom, but her life is changed forever when she gets her first summer job as a nanny for a 5-year-old girl named Izzy Cone. Izzy’s parents couldn’t be more opposite of Mary Jane’s. Dr. Cone is psychiatrist treating a famous of his drug addiction and he and his wife famous actress Sheba are living with Cones. Mrs. Cone is a mother, who isn’t great at being housewife or mother, but loves her daughter more than anything. They introduce Mary Jane to whole new world of great music and fun lifestyle.
This is coming of age story as Mary Jane is introduced to a world that is very different from her own with its good and bad sides. She has been sheltered so long by her conservation and religious parents that she is surprised by the contrasting lifestyles from her own. She realizes her parents are not always right, a realization I think a lot of kids go through. Despite being away from her mom, Mary Jane still maintains the skills her mom taught her and most of her value system, though not all. She realizes how racist and judgmental her parents are, but it’s also proven she could never fully lose her mom’s influence. She’s able to cook for the Cones and keep the house organize while teaching Izzy important life lessons. Mostly the atmosphere of the Cone’s house was fun and I wanted to be there joining in on the fun without the drugs. All the characters came off as complex, especially Jimmy and Sheba, making me enjoy getting to know them, flaws and all. With Jimmy I kept picturing either Alice Cooper or David Tenant in the Fright Night remake. Sheba made me think of Cher. As far as the writing, the only thing that bothered me was how sometimes Blau would give a play by play of the steps characters took to do something like getting in the car. There is drug addiction and a scene of graphic sexual content. There also a lot of dropping of the F word. I can’t help but wonder what Mary Jane would be like as an adult after this experience. What I love about historical fiction is I get to escape to a time in history I will never get to experience, but only hear about. I got experience a decade of great music, fun fashion, and free love (and the sexual revolution).
Graphic: Drug abuse, Cursing, Alcohol, and Sexual content