Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul

6 reviews

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

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

jpfortmiller's review against another edition

informative reflective fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Body shaming, Rape, and Abandonment

Minor: Dementia and Police brutality

lipliplip's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• 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? It's complicated

3.0

I liked reading this overall and there are important topics discussed throughout and through an interesting now and then lens. I echo other reviewers thoughts that it is reminiscent of Evelyn Hugo but that the book could have been a bit more concise, especially when it came to characters included and their ultimate importance to the story - I often found myself having to go back and reread earlier parts in order to understand what was going on due to that and some confusing writing. This has not turned me off from this author though as liked the plot as a whole and could see what she had envisioned for the book.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Rape, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Grief, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Toxic friendship

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

mortiffa's review against another edition

mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

2.75

So, I have mixed feelings.

While I really enjoyed this story and thought this book had a lot of interesting things to say, I don't know if the way it was executed worked for me. The dual time lines weren't given the same weight or attention, and Kitty's story - while interesting - was the bulk of this novel. I would have loved to follow Elise and her sisters a lot more than we got the chance to. The movement between one timeline and the next was kind of choppy, on top of it.

I don't think the writing itself is bad; the prose is simple and concise, but not plain. I just don't think this novel is as organized as it should be, and the subject matter gets lost in the shuffle of everything. This could have easily been a 4 star read for me had more thought and organization been put into telling the story. It just doesn't feel like a finished draft to me.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Racism, Rape, and Classism

Minor: Slavery