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fineeyes's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage
Moderate: Gun violence, Suicide, Vomit, and War
Minor: Animal death
nellvin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-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
4.0
Every thought and decision by this protagonist is a surprise. Edie is frustrating but sympathetic, and it is so refreshing being inside the mind of a painter. I also thought Eric, Rebecca and Akila were emotionally well-rounded beings. Not a flat character to be found. This book is sad and strange but the prose is just stunning. Amazing sentences, pitch-perfect observations, hilarious and so-human situations.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicide, and Abortion
Minor: Rape
madelynfrank's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-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? Yes
4.0
Writing was gorgeous. Grimy. Other reviews said “sexy” and it’s def M. But sexy doesn’t quite describe. Some really soft and heartbreaking moments. I felt satisfied with the choice of ending. Also check TWs if there’s stuff you look out for, felt like I was checking a lot of boxes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Classism
armontheroad's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
LUSTER was 240 pages of pure brilliance. I don’t think it’s possible for me to compile my thoughts on this book. This novel reminded me a lot of QUEENIE but in a US setting. If you’re interested in stories about young Black women making bad choices and just trying to get through life, I would highly recommend these two. LUSTER is a commentary on trauma. I do not suggest it lightly!! It being queer was also a pleasant surprise.
CWs/TWs: Sexual content, eating disorder behavior, calorie counting, racism, car accident, depression, abortion, ableist language, self-harm, childhood sexual assault, blood, police brutality, domestic abuse, fatphobia, sexual harassment, medical content, body gore, suicide, PTSD, racial slurs, body dysmorphia, TERF language, animal death, animal cruelty, miscarriage, blood, etc.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Police brutality, Medical content, Car accident, Abortion, and Sexual harassment
and_i's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
How I knew this book:
Saw it on Instagram when it came out in 2020 and thought the cover was stunning. Saw it as an free audiobook on Spotify and thought I'll give it a listen.
Saw it on Instagram when it came out in 2020 and thought the cover was stunning. Saw it as an free audiobook on Spotify and thought I'll give it a listen.
Plot in 3 sentences:
A black girl, age 23, starts an affair with an older man that has a wife and an adopted black daughter.
She has no conventional job and is an artist, and when she gets kicked out of her appartment, she ends up living at the family house of her affair.
Vibes at the house are very weird and everything seems to be detached with no real emotions. I couldn't really tell what anyone was doing or up to from them on because it was so mundane and boring I mostly zoomed out.
A black girl, age 23, starts an affair with an older man that has a wife and an adopted black daughter.
She has no conventional job and is an artist, and when she gets kicked out of her appartment, she ends up living at the family house of her affair.
Vibes at the house are very weird and everything seems to be detached with no real emotions. I couldn't really tell what anyone was doing or up to from them on because it was so mundane and boring I mostly zoomed out.
My opinion:
I didn't really care for any of the characters or the story.
There were glimpses of moments that catched my attention when I thought it would get interesting and the plot would turn in a specific direction....But the moment just passed and the issues weren't really discussed or cared for.
The main character or any other character in the book were just so emotionless and detached from what's happening. I just wished they had more reactions or any feelings at least 😅
It was so boring to read / listen to.
I didn't really care for any of the characters or the story.
There were glimpses of moments that catched my attention when I thought it would get interesting and the plot would turn in a specific direction....But the moment just passed and the issues weren't really discussed or cared for.
The main character or any other character in the book were just so emotionless and detached from what's happening. I just wished they had more reactions or any feelings at least 😅
It was so boring to read / listen to.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
dakarif's review against another edition
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
I don’t know what it is, but I really like this book. It’s not my usual style. Its slow, not dramatic, and is character driven. And I’m not similar to the main character at all, she’s definitely bold in ways that are unthinkable to me.
But her perspective of the world is relatable (even if I disagree). She just really personifies this depressive numbness and the ways you try to feel through it. I can appreciate her dry humor, and the honesty in her narration.
I don’t know who I would recommend this book to, but I would count myself as the target audience.
But her perspective of the world is relatable (even if I disagree). She just really personifies this depressive numbness and the ways you try to feel through it. I can appreciate her dry humor, and the honesty in her narration.
I don’t know who I would recommend this book to, but I would count myself as the target audience.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Vomit
thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
i like this enough - chronicling a few significant months of a black woman in her twenties, luster is peppered througout w/ acerbic, stark observations abt race, sex, and class; the depiction of quarter-life crisis painful yet realistic; and nyc is both disgustingly and longingly familar here. the story is unsentimentally and detachedly told, w/ the gradual unraveling of edie's family backstory providing effective character context, and the moments of clarity are striking.
overall, an interesting novel abt a peculiar marital and living arrangement that also deals w/ heady, uneasy issues.
overall, an interesting novel abt a peculiar marital and living arrangement that also deals w/ heady, uneasy issues.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Racism, and Police brutality
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicide, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death, Death, Infertility, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, and Abortion
davidbythebay's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
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
3.5
At the start of this book I kept thinking "I'm not a prude, but I am clutching my pearls!" Trust me when I say I am FAR from being squeamish about intimate escapades. But I was still, somehow, shocked by the frankness of the main character. As I read on, I realized what was really gnawing at me was her frankness. She almost sounded like she had already given up and was just an automaton moving about. And I think that was part of the point. As I read, the book grew on me and I really ended up liking it by the end.
Don't get me wrong, I still have some issues with the story. First of all, it was sometimes disjointed almost in that things just happened and felt like there was no thought behind it by the characters. For example - and this is in the description and not a spoiler - when Edie (our main character) becomes unemployed and invited to live with this family given everything that is knowingly going on here by the parties. It just reads as odd. I get setting aside differences and emotions in an emergency situation, but taking someone in whom you think so little of and then seem to be friends with, back and forth on this endless spectrum of what's going on here.
The writing was absolutely lovely, on the whole. Some things were a little over written (poetic to the point of overdoing it) but mostly it was a pleasant read. One issue I had was, and this is something small, the hipster-vibe of acknowledging and naming the patriarchy/capitalism/what-have-you in the middle of a rant. I just don't like a conversation - and I have actually been privy to these happening in real life and even then they feel staged - where something happens and it is named by the grander concept that it embodies. I know this is a patriarchal matter you are discussing and having opinions on. I don't need to be bluntly slapped by that wet fish.
All of that aside, I enjoyed the writing and liked the story. It touched on several important topics and ideas, but sometimes it dealt with them very briefly and it came across as being dismissive. (I'm talking about the key scene in particular. If you know, you know.) As it stands, it was an enjoyable bit of reading but nothing I really connected with. I may just be done with the whole millennial/Gen Z sarcastic "wokeness" even though I am technically called a millennial/Gen Z. It's something that tends to be blunt and generalized without nuance or tact. Luster did not paint with such a wide indiscriminate brush, but it definitely created some bright strokes.
Better than an average book, but just not my taste. 3.5 Stars
Don't get me wrong, I still have some issues with the story. First of all, it was sometimes disjointed almost in that things just happened and felt like there was no thought behind it by the characters. For example - and this is in the description and not a spoiler - when Edie (our main character) becomes unemployed and invited to live with this family given everything that is knowingly going on here by the parties. It just reads as odd. I get setting aside differences and emotions in an emergency situation, but taking someone in whom you think so little of and then seem to be friends with, back and forth on this endless spectrum of what's going on here.
The writing was absolutely lovely, on the whole. Some things were a little over written (poetic to the point of overdoing it) but mostly it was a pleasant read. One issue I had was, and this is something small, the hipster-vibe of acknowledging and naming the patriarchy/capitalism/what-have-you in the middle of a rant. I just don't like a conversation - and I have actually been privy to these happening in real life and even then they feel staged - where something happens and it is named by the grander concept that it embodies. I know this is a patriarchal matter you are discussing and having opinions on. I don't need to be bluntly slapped by that wet fish.
All of that aside, I enjoyed the writing and liked the story. It touched on several important topics and ideas, but sometimes it dealt with them very briefly and it came across as being dismissive. (I'm talking about the key scene in particular. If you know, you know.) As it stands, it was an enjoyable bit of reading but nothing I really connected with. I may just be done with the whole millennial/Gen Z sarcastic "wokeness" even though I am technically called a millennial/Gen Z. It's something that tends to be blunt and generalized without nuance or tact. Luster did not paint with such a wide indiscriminate brush, but it definitely created some bright strokes.
Better than an average book, but just not my taste. 3.5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Racism, Sexual content, Blood, Abortion, and Alcohol
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
dori39's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Abortion
Moderate: Drug use, Police brutality, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Gun violence, Mental illness, and Suicide
violentcello's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Police brutality