Reviews tagging 'Racism'

All This Could Be Different: A Novel by Sarah Thankam Mathews

74 reviews

raekit's review against another edition

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

4.5

This was a really good but really hard book to read. The characters are raw and flawed and their lives are messy. I’m glad I read it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Police brutality

Moderate: Sexual assault

annamolpus's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective sad 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

Messy sad girl lit fic comes through for me once again!  An immigrant graduates college, moves to Wisconsin for a thankless job, and struggles with depression, identity, relationships, financial security - I could go on, she does not lack for issues to deal with.  To me, this messy narrator was so empathetic, so lovable (even when she could not love herself), and the supporting characters were also intriguing, infuriating, and funny.  The writing is so so good.  I'll definitely read this one again and recommend it to many.  

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse and Racism

caseythereader's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective sad 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Drug abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Transphobia, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

Minor: Terminal illness

moniipeters's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Lesbophobia, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation

juls0899's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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

4.25

I really appreciated the realistic development of Sneha’s character- she messes up like a real person, brutally and ignorantly, but learns from it and is still far from perfect at the end. Also, the way the text shifted one of the characters’ pronouns from she to they halfway through was a very cool way to show how that language can change, and the protag may stumble once or twice, but she’s putting in the effort. I feel like I haven’t seen that pronoun shift captured in text before and I think it’d be helpful for people who haven’t had to do that for a friend/loved one/person in their own lives. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Rape, and Police brutality

ka_cam's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

A solid queer immigrant self destructive sadgirl tale of your 20s and the turbulence of growing into yourself and into community. Sneha wasn’t always very likable but was always understandable, which I appreciate! Sometimes the writing felt a little stilted or not quite finished off at the end, all in all a good read! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Outing, Alcohol, and Deportation

moreadsnrambles's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia and Sexual assault

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Racism, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, and Alcohol

reizh's review against another edition

funny hopeful 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Racism

sakisreads's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-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

3.0

This was slightly disappointing to me. BookTok sold me quite a lot on this so I had high hopes and they weren’t necessarily met 🥲

In saying that though, there were some real tender moments where I truly felt for Sneha. She’s obviously brought so much trauma to the forefront

e.g. her father’s deportation, her inability to ‘come out’ to her parents, her uncle’s sexual abuse towards her

so it’s completely understandable that she does the things that she does. Also, I got quite frustrated at Marina and Thom throughout the story, when they dropped her whenever they felt it was convenient. Friendships, I have also found through personal experience, are so volatile that sometimes it can be hard to keep up 🫠

Someone said this was one to read when you felt a bit lost in your 20’s and it definitely fits that genre. I’m hopeful to read other things by Sarah Thankam Mathews that’ll work better for me though 🥰 Thank you!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Incest, Racism, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Dysphoria, and Deportation

schnooglefaceduthie's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Sexual assault

Moderate: Racism and Police brutality

Minor: Vomit