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fatsss's review
emotional
hopeful
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? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, and Homophobia
Moderate: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts
bojosephh's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-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
4.75
brilliant. the ending felt a little didactic. which makes sense. Ani Kayode Somtochukwu is primarily an activist, and it jives that his first novel would be an argument for activism as a necessary mode for life. the ending while not feeling unearned, however, seems to buck against the style of the novel. it feels too neat, too pat. if this is where Ani was going, a different style might have been better. none of this detracts from its necessity as essential reading for anyone trying to understand queer African life as resistance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicide, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
aliciawithoutkeys's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Suicide, Homophobia, Hate crime, and Suicidal thoughts
toluolowo's review against another edition
informative
sad
medium-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
I wish we got more of Segun's internal story
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, Suicide, Bullying, Hate crime, Grief, Outing, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Homophobia, and Death
jportfolio's review
emotional
sad
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Sexual violence, and Violence
Moderate: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts
bookmarklark's review
emotional
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
4.0
This book was a bit out of my comfort zone, but I’m absolutely glad I gave it a shot.
As a preface, I don’t read romance a lot. I struggle to find interest in books where romance is the main focus, which is how this book seemed to be presented. Additionally, this was a heavier romance: our protagonists face violent and pervasive homophobia in their schools, their homes, and their country at large. Reading stories like this can be, emotionally, difficult. I do recommend to anybody interested in reading this book that they take care of themselves and reach out for support if they need it when dealing with these topics.
All that being said, here is my review in a nutshell: the first half was slow to me (which I entirely blame on romance not being my thing). The second half was the drop down the other side of the roller coaster.
Those last 100 pages just flew by. It is a delicate task, balancing dread and hope, and Ani Kayode Somtochukwu did a fantastic job in those final chapters. August and Segun’s character development felt utterly realistic and raw. Their relationship broke from the cliché path my romance-novice self expected in ways that read so real: in their conflicts, we see both sides, what they are struggling with, and we can both empathize and question each of them. Somtochukwu masterfully weaves together their personal experiences, lives, and outside forces in each beat of their stories separate and together. I just. Oof. Can’t gush enough without spoiling further. I do think August’s side was a bit more polished — we didn’t see as much of Segun’s side in those crucial ending moments of character change — but that may have been for the best. I think more Segun POV might have destroyed me.
So, when I asked myself what I was struggling with while reading the first half, the concept that came to mind was “The Question.” When it comes down to it, most plots hinge on answering a question: will Frodo get the ring to Mordor, will the Crows succeed in their heist, etc. As tends to be for a romance, the main question in this book was “will they get/stay/be happy together?”
As I mentioned before, I’m not a huge romance reader. I don’t mind romance — I have even been known to enjoy a romance from time to time — but I would rather it be a side plot. I need more to keep me hooked. That’s the main reason I found the first half of the book to be slow. We get a lot of our two leads’ backstories, but these backstories were not setting up strong intermediary questions to keep us wondering until the main question could kick in. What they did do, however, is get us to empathize with the characters. These early chapters also set up themes that guided the overarching character development and plot, particularly on August’s part. I thought these paid off really well in the ending, landing in a way that was both inevitable and yet moving. The momentum in the end was fantastic.
Ultimately, what kept me reading in that first half was just how much I was learning. I was delighted to read about experiences so different from my own, and Somtochukwu does a great job of positioning us in August and Segun’s worlds.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Bullying
Moderate: Suicide and Violence
readwithchar's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- 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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Grief, Death of parent, Biphobia, Death, Hate crime, Medical content, Bullying, Sexism, Homophobia, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Outing, Mental illness, and Injury/Injury detail
emmas_bookshelf's review
dark
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
As the synopsis indicates, this powerful story touches on a lot of really tough topics - homophobia, violence against LGBTQ+ folks, straining against family and cultural expectations, and more. All that said, it was an excellent read and it gave me a lot to think about and a sliver of insight into a culture that’s totally foreign to me. I appreciate the author illuminating these subjects and doing it with writing that is intimate and beautifully written. CWs for all the stuff mentioned above and also suicide.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Sexual content, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Biphobia, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Homophobia, Alcohol, Blood, and Violence
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