Reviews tagging 'Vomit'

Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul

10 reviews

moyarb's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Vomit

iamloreal's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative mysterious slow-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

2.75

This book was a slow start for me. It took a while for me to get a true feel for what the book was about because for almost a quarter of the book it had nothing to  do with Elise St. John or her family, their backstory, etc. I wish the author would have just focused on Kitty’s life because her character saved this story.

I appreciate the lengths the author went through to depict life for black people post slavery, and the struggle for those that could pass. How their treatment from those in community with them shaped their views of themselves and how painful decisions were often made to secure chances at a better life. 

I was let down, though, by the author’s attempt to bridge these timelines together. Elise’s storyline felt like more of an afterthought. Kind of how you’re eating a meal and you get to a small bit on the plate that needs a little seasoning. There were so many questions I had that won’t be answered. Why was the St. John family dynamic strained? Who else knew the secrets? What happened with the investigation? And what happened to the other characters from Kitty’s side of the story? 

All in all, this book was ok. I’m glad I opted for the audiobook over a physical copy because it would’ve been a DNF. 🥴

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Abortion, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Bullying, Racial slurs, Rape, Classism, Grief, Death, and Racism

mal_reads_books's review

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-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? No

2.25

This story had great potential, but it needed a better editor.

The writing was messy, disjointed, and oddly paced. The two storylines didn't mesh well, and the transitions between Kitty's and Elise's chapters were jarring. There was a lot more telling and info-dumping than showing. There were too many characters and subplots that didn't add value to the plot, especially in the present day. The first two chapters were the worst. I had to reread parts and was ready to quit the book early, but I stuck with it because this was the book club's pick of the month. Kitty's parts were more readable and interesting than Elise's, but still had the aforementioned issues.

I would have enjoyed this more had Elise's parts been eliminated. I understand why the author included the modern timeline, but Kitty's story would've been fine alone, with maybe an epilogue with the St. Johns. I also would have liked to see more of Kitty's acting career and later life and was disappointed her chapters ended in the 1960s. The ending felt rushed and anticlimactic, leaving a lot of loose ends.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Rape, Sexism, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Grief, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Eating disorder, Body shaming, and Classism

Minor: Vomit and Blood

mdal26's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-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? Yes

3.5

I loved the concept, the story and the characters. Kitty and her friends were interesting and kept me engaged. 

That being said, I wish that the storyline in the present had gone deeper - I forgot at times that the story had two timelines because there was a strong focus on the past, and the present felt disconnected at times. In particular, at the end, I wanted to understand the impact and implications of what had happened in the past on the present day characters.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity, Death of parent, Police brutality, Slavery, Colonisation, Rape, Alcoholism, Cancer, Classism, Bullying, Hate crime, Pregnancy, Racism, Grief, Racial slurs, Death, Domestic abuse, Vomit, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, and Abortion

abicaro17's review

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-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

3.5

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. Its just kinda meh. The story itself is cool! Kitty is a black woman passing as white and paving her way in Hollywood as a white woman. Shes inspiring and clearly talented but unfortunately her character development later in the book falls flat. The whole end of the book feels rushed compared to the intricate stories about how Kitty made it in Hollywood. I think it would benefit from like 100 more pages of either present day Elise content or Kitty with Elise from her pov. They just seem very disconnected for a close relationship.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Police brutality, Abandonment, Alcohol, Cancer, Death, Hate crime, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Medical content, Violence, Body shaming, Classism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Blood, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, and Vomit

kkulhannie's review

emotional 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Classism, Racial slurs, Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Racism, Slavery, Abortion, Abandonment, Death, and Grief

Moderate: Vomit, Rape, Sexism, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Child death, Infidelity, Stalking, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Addiction, Hate crime, and Pregnancy

torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Infidelity, Sexual content, Abortion, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Death of parent, Violence, Vomit, Alcoholism, Bullying, Dementia, Drug use, Dysphoria, Medical content, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Infertility, Slavery, Eating disorder, Grief, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Cancer, Death, Pregnancy, Police brutality, Racism, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Cursing, and Racial slurs

sholtie's review

challenging emotional informative mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.5

Finally! A book that understands history is gossip! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Cancer

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Police brutality, Addiction, Colonisation, Drug use, Abortion, Classism, and Miscarriage

Minor: Infertility and Vomit

sophs_mood_reading's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-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

3.75

A multi generational saga spanning from the segregated south, glitzy old Hollywood and the current celebrity life. Kitty Karr a white Hollywood legend has left her entire estate to three sisters who are young, wealthy in their own right and Black. 

As Elise one of the sisters digs through Kitty’s belongings she discovers a story that will change everything. 

We get the learn the truth through multiple points of view spanning many generations, locations and women. It’s a book where if you listen carefully you can easily pick up all the little clues and put together what’s what yourself but not in a way that feels to predictable. 

There is a lot of discussion surround race and what that meant in America at the time so it is no where near a fluffy historical fiction and really does get you thinking. 

The audiobook was good with different voice actors playing the different points of view, however, the voice actor for Elise fell short and it was often difficult to figure out what was dialogue and who was talking. 

This would be a great book for bookclubs. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs

Moderate: Death of parent, Vomit, Miscarriage, Grief, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Infidelity, Rape, Child death, Slavery, and Police brutality

faerietale_princess's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

Utterly intoxicating. Pulls you right in and doesn’t let you go until the end.

I preferred Kitty’s POV more than Elise’s. The writing is really strong, but the modern day characters kind of all talk to each other the same way. This can also leak in to a few conversations between the historical characters.

The author is intelligent and it shows. She trusts her readers with the story. She lays out clues and trusts the reader to figure them out. This can lead to a bit of predictability, I suppose, but it doesn’t feel forced. Rather, it feels rewarding. When she confirms things, she doesn’t hold your hand.

There were a lot of characters. Most of them are definitely distinct. There were a few that didn’t really feel distinct enough, but we don’t see much of them.

If you like Seven Husbands because of the romance, this may not be for you. If you like Seven Husbands because it’s historical fiction set in old Hollywood, definitely read this. I loved SH but this is definitely the better book, in my opinion.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Vomit and Abandonment

Minor: Cancer and Death of parent