Scan barcode
noah_silver's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Uff ähm reading the book felt very intense - I dived in it and found it hard to put it aside. I loved the writing and the way the inner life of the main character was portrayed. The poems in between. The setting of the the scenes through naming/describing songs that are being played. How Elsie navigates her different relationships and life, how she fucks up, how the people around her try to be there but are sometimes not. In different ways the story feels very real and fleshed out and yeah. I also thought the sex scenes were written well with a mix of explicitness and room for own imagination that I liked quite much. It also portrays quite complicated birth family relationships but I also find them credible - and I loved the nan. And many of the other characters <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Car accident, Grief, and Sexual content
nerdysread's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-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
2.75
Not a bad book tbh but its pacing was off sometimes, like some
Parts were unnecessary. One last thing, the MC was 😬 most of the time. Like go get therapy girl
Parts were unnecessary. One last thing, the MC was 😬 most of the time. Like go get therapy girl
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Car accident, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, and Drug use
drawahardline's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Sexual content, and Car accident
Moderate: Death
kneebees's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Drug use, Grief, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, and Sexual content
aishallnot's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
tense
medium-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? Yes
3.5
3.5 rounded up to 4
I enjoy a good coming of age story, especially when the mc is in their 20s. This i think was a decent debut but i kinda have mixed feelings.
First, i love how diverse this book with the characters. I feel like this definitely served a purpose in regards to the ethnic backgrounds of the characters as well as the queer community in london. Elsie is definitely going through it (though she can be hard to root for at times) and it was refreshing to see how she has people that she can reach to for support besides her family. She's very close with her grandmother and i loved seeing that relationship whenever she was showcased. I also liked maggie and how she was almost like an auntie to elsie and encouraged to use her gift of her writing as well as her voice (something her grandmother also strongly instilled in her) .
Speaking of which, i definitely related to elsie at times in terms of not being openly vulnerable and even wanting to become a best selling poet/writer. i loved how she has the determination to go after what she wants and expresses herself through writing instead of speaking (i definitely do that 😭).
Now, here's where some things fell short. I feel like plot wise,this could have been another 20-30 pages or so because the ending definitely felt rushed with the car crash (which might have been the climax?). We didn't really get to see elsie and juliet have a proper closure after the fight they had. Sure they made up, but the story just ends kinda abruptly imo almost like its a start of something new between them but that's it.
The writing was fine and easy to read (not a lot jargon-y words), but i kinda wish there was more showing how the characters feel than telling. Especially with a book so written emotion heavy, i feel that we didn't get to see that until the end.
Lastly, there were some plot points and even like 1-2 characters i wish were shown more.The biggest one probably elsie's mom and the infidelity. I wasn't the biggest fan of her, but i wish we got to see her address the situation with elsie more and the two of them talk it out, but now i think its bc elsie wasn't on good terms with her mom and she didn't think much of her dad cheating . Another thing to add is that elsie's parents and their relationship could have been explored more on the outlook of love.
And then there's andrew who was kinda there to be an antagonist but also create a love triangle...anyways.
Again i think this is a decent debut and i don't think its a bad book. I just felt there was something missing within the story and now finishing it i can think what could have been added. I heard the author has another book so I'm intrigued to see what she will wrote next.
I enjoy a good coming of age story, especially when the mc is in their 20s. This i think was a decent debut but i kinda have mixed feelings.
First, i love how diverse this book with the characters. I feel like this definitely served a purpose in regards to the ethnic backgrounds of the characters as well as the queer community in london. Elsie is definitely going through it (though she can be hard to root for at times) and it was refreshing to see how she has people that she can reach to for support besides her family. She's very close with her grandmother and i loved seeing that relationship whenever she was showcased. I also liked maggie and how she was almost like an auntie to elsie and encouraged to use her gift of her writing as well as her voice (something her grandmother also strongly instilled in her) .
Speaking of which, i definitely related to elsie at times in terms of not being openly vulnerable and even wanting to become a best selling poet/writer. i loved how she has the determination to go after what she wants and expresses herself through writing instead of speaking (i definitely do that 😭).
Now, here's where some things fell short. I feel like plot wise,
The writing was fine and easy to read (not a lot jargon-y words), but i kinda wish there was more showing how the characters feel than telling. Especially with a book so written emotion heavy, i feel that we didn't get to see that until the end.
Lastly, there were some plot points and even like 1-2 characters i wish were shown more.
Again i think this is a decent debut and i don't think its a bad book. I just felt there was something missing within the story and now finishing it i can think what could have been added. I heard the author has another book so I'm intrigued to see what she will wrote next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Car accident
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Blood
bootlegfrank's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
Loved this book! Finished with a quickness. Elsie’s dreams become your own and you end wanting to see her love, be loved and succeed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Car accident
Moderate: Medical trauma and Alcohol
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
taleofabibliophile's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Sexual content, Cursing, Infidelity, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Blood, Grief, Alcohol, Car accident, and Medical content
Minor: Pregnancy and Vomit
ejl2623's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.0
Rosewater brings us Elsie, a queer black Guyanese poet (she/her) who left home at sixteen and moved to London. Now in her twenties, she works in a failing bar for not enough money to pay the rent and she has fabulous sex with a coworker, Bea, who lives with her boyfriend Karma. When Elsie's landlord evicts her, she turns to her best friend from childhood, Juliet, who puts her up in her spare bedroom. Except, Elsie and Juliet had a falling out a few months prior and haven't talked since. Juliet is a preschool teacher who makes extra money on a video-sex site. Andrew hangs about hoping for a chance with Juliet. Elsie doesn't like him or most of Juliet's friends. Along the way, Rosewater explores a whole variety of individuals with pronouns that fit them. Elsie has an opportunity to showcase her poetry and starts to explore her options.
Rosewater is partly about family and trauma. It is about a loving grandmother. It is about food and it's emotional importance in our lives. It is about the kinds of friends who take care of you no matter what. It is about a parents who do not take care of you. It is about being gay and living an independent life that is not open to your family. It is about the array of people one meets over a few months of life in our twenties. It is both specific to the experience of being a lesbian and it is universal. It is beautifully written and I read and reread the poems included as they are gorgeous. Very much enjoyed this book.
Rosewater is partly about family and trauma. It is about a loving grandmother. It is about food and it's emotional importance in our lives. It is about the kinds of friends who take care of you no matter what. It is about a parents who do not take care of you. It is about being gay and living an independent life that is not open to your family. It is about the array of people one meets over a few months of life in our twenties. It is both specific to the experience of being a lesbian and it is universal. It is beautifully written and I read and reread the poems included as they are gorgeous. Very much enjoyed this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Car accident
cko's review against another edition
emotional
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
Um wow... Liv Little like... pretty much wrote my life? This was trippy as fuck to read. But also beautiful and sexy and tender. I'm so glad I picked up this ARC! (big thanks to Zando)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Toxic relationship
stechu___'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Sexual content