Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole

56 reviews

lesseraliterary's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious tense 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

5.0

when alyssa cole releases her next thriller… i will be there standing in line even for the hardcover 🤧

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zoiejanelle's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny informative mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

(listened to audio book from library)

i am not a thriller girlie but i happened to see Stephen King’s tweet recommending this book and i said, “romantic thriller? okay, let’s do this.” 

and OH MY GOD was it worth it. 

this book is REAR WINDOW meets GET OUT, Hitchcock meets Peele. it carries all of the best parts of the classic thriller genre, but was driven by a timely subject: gentrification. 

i was immediately obsessed with both narrators and how unreliable they both were, even when they tried to be truthful. Sydney and her many secrets and insecurities was lovable from the get, and Theo—poor Theo—was simultaneously hilarious and romantic in all his goofy, well-meaning but off-putting gestures. somehow the combination of the two, one extremely distrusting and suspicious woman and one extremely maleable and dishonest man, was perfect. i was rooting for them the entire time. 

the plot twists were very well timed. twist after twist, i audibly gasped. at one point i had to pause to soak in the information i’d just read. 

overall, a true thrill that made me glad i genre-hopped. thanks Stephen King for the rec. 

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leebeeloves's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense 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

4.25


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ret1234's review against another edition

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

5.0

Absolutely loved this book. “Get out” vibes FOR SURE! Cole did an amazing job covering the racial history of brooklyn and new york and the horrors that gentrification impose. Slow to start but once it picks up I couldn’t stop thinking about it!!!!!!! MUST READ!

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neverlandpages4's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny informative inspiring mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

• The cover is what first made me want to read it, but when I saw it was inspired by “Get Out”, I knew I had to read it because I love that movie. 

• I will say that there aren’t many resemblances, but they both have that energy of suspense and dread throughout the entire book/movie. 

• If you’re a fan of Get out or Ace of Spades, then I’d recommend this!

• I’ll be honest and say that I had no idea what gentrification was before I read this, so it was a very informative and interesting book that was unlike anything I’ve read before. 

• I absolutely loved how the writing was so casual and witty, it’s definitely very easy to read because it was like every day conversations that you hear, so the dialogue flowed easily. 

• I also liked the main character, Sydney. I loved reading from her perspective, seeing the world through her eyes to truly understand the way she felt. 

• This had so many great discussions about history, gentrification, racism, slavery, segregation, and so much more that I thought was very important and eye opening, and a lot of it was just heartbreaking to read, knowing that those things actually did happen. 

• I also adored the community and neighborhood in this book, the way that the neighbors looked out and cared for each other was really wholesome. It was like a big, loving family. 

• I was looking forward to the ending the entire book because I was constantly seeing people talk about the shocking twist at the end, and for me, a lot of it was predictable. There were still some shocking parts, but it was nothing I couldn’t see coming tbh. 

• Aside from the twist, the ending was really infuriating. I won’t spoil anything but some of the characters had my blood boiling. Just the audacity and the lack of humanity that they had was disgusting. 

• Overall, I’d highly recommend this book, and I think that it would be informative for everyone, but check the trigger warnings because it deals with a lot of heavy topics.

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maregred's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

3.75


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cpachet's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This book starts off very slow, but builds into a solid story. Not a traditional thriller, but excellently written with some twists that will shock. Never been relieved with an ending.

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wackly93's review against another edition

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4.25


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jojo_'s review against another edition

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

4.0


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laguerrelewis's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense 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

WHEEEEEEW. This book fucked me UP in the best way possible. Thrillers are an excellent medium to work through/depict/teach about the insidiousness of racism, and I’m glad that this trend is being picked up by intelligent and talented creators like Jordan Peele, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, and now Alyssa Cole. This book keeps you on the farthest edge of your seat, but also manages to inspire and warm your heart with a tale of communal aid and resistance. Cole writes characters and a community that are complex, storied, and palpable, adding to the stress when they are threatened by powers seemingly beyond their control. A read I would recommend for anyone looking for a cathartic, informative, and nervewracking take on gentrificaction.

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