Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

5 reviews

viy's review

The start is good, but once the story shifted to being over the pandemic, it got way more difficult to enjoy. The romance starts being told over email, which prevents us from getting Sally's narration and thoughts, as well as makes the romance seem weaker and less engaging overall. I didn't mind the political interjections for the most part, but it started getting annoying after a while, since some of them didn't seem to add anything to the story or characters, and instead served to show us that the characters are "good people" who go to protests, which felt off to me considering they're discussing real tragedies that happened like, 4 years ago. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Racism, Police brutality, and Misogyny

kyriannaj's review

medium-paced

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

1.0

This book heavily deals with COVID in the immediate summer of 2020 with uncertainty, anxieties, and all other political events that happened in the US during that time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Misogyny and Sexism

Minor: Death, Sexual content, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Cursing, Eating disorder, Police brutality, Addiction, and Alcohol

crystalleighwrites's review against another edition

funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Medical content

Moderate: Body shaming, Suicide, and Addiction

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Racism, and Eating disorder

gretchenplz's review

emotional funny lighthearted 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

I have had my quarrels with COVID-era novels before, but I think this one was done in a tasteful (i.e., liberal) way that not only enhanced the development of the characters, but actually benefitted the story. I appreciated that the author didn't shy away from the "elephants in the room" during the period of 2016-2020 and freely discusses race, class, sex, gender, and more so openly and in a supportive way.

I admit I am a sucker for celeb romances, and I found this one to be particularly charming and unique. I am also a sucker for books that feature alternative forms of communication (emails, texts, etc.), so I found part two of the book to be so refreshing and fun. The themes of imposter syndrome, self-sabotage, and insecurity, both on a personal and professional level, really hit home with me, and I could not put this book down. 

I also appreciated the lack of a third-act breakup, in place of a real couple facing a real issue and needing to take the time to learn from each other, communicate, and grow together. 

I remember reading (and loving) Prep as a wee freshman in high school and I am delighted that Curtis continues to be an exceptional writer with incredible stories to tell.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Hate crime, Racism, Sexism, Pregnancy, and Police brutality

skudiklier's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

I loved this book! I read it all in one day, and while honestly I've done that for books I ended up not really liking, this one was definitely one I enjoyed. I've really liked Curtis Sittenfeld's writing for a long time, and this is probably my favorite out of her books that I've read. She's so good at getting in people's heads and writing about complicated awkward interactions in such a compelling way, and the characters in this book are realistic and flawed but still likable. I love romance novels but I have problems with a lot of them, and this one found really great ways of getting around those problems. I would definitely recommend this book and I'm so glad I read it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the chance to read and review this ARC. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Sexism

Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Addiction, Death, Cursing, Mental illness, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Death of parent

Minor: Drug use, Body shaming, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Animal cruelty, Pregnancy, Transphobia, and Police brutality