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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
medium-paced
a very interesting book with interweaving stories
“was she ever going to be the same without accentuating herself?”
“was she ever going to be the same without accentuating herself?”
This book hit me so hard, and was so beautiful and complicated and painful in so many different ways. Also, knowing about Swedish culture and witnessing the way it operates added so much starkness and context to the book for me. I loved everyone trying to find themselves and their place and the otherness added to a backdrop of a place like Sweden. I also liked all these characters with their own traumas just trying to navigate through life and changes.
I wish the characters had been flushed out a little bit more like more background more depth more reasons around their decision making because I feel like in the thick of it they felt like their archetypes when I knew there was so much more to them.
Brittany’s character felt like the most left field but also added a lot about the discussion of wealth and privilege. Johnny also felt particularly reduced to a stereotype and more of a psychopath than autistic and I do feel like that did a huge disservice. I also think Kemi is the character who a lot of people can resonate with and Muna’s story course was so heavy in so many different ways. Other reviews mentioned frustrations with women being defined by their relationships with men but I didn’t find that to be the case and felt like it dove more into loneliness, what society says about partnership and finding a sense of belonging. Overall still a deeply emotional journey of a book that tied these three characters together in a tough place. Muna’s story in particular shattered me because she is so full of optimism and hope.
I wish the characters had been flushed out a little bit more like more background more depth more reasons around their decision making because I feel like in the thick of it they felt like their archetypes when I knew there was so much more to them.
Brittany’s character felt like the most left field but also added a lot about the discussion of wealth and privilege. Johnny also felt particularly reduced to a stereotype and more of a psychopath than autistic and I do feel like that did a huge disservice. I also think Kemi is the character who a lot of people can resonate with and Muna’s story course was so heavy in so many different ways. Other reviews mentioned frustrations with women being defined by their relationships with men but I didn’t find that to be the case and felt like it dove more into loneliness, what society says about partnership and finding a sense of belonging. Overall still a deeply emotional journey of a book that tied these three characters together in a tough place. Muna’s story in particular shattered me because she is so full of optimism and hope.
This was a lot darker than I had originally thought it would be. Three Black women in Sweden, and they are all connected by one white man. I went in knowing that racism in Sweden was not pretty and this book does not shy away from it. I did feel it was a bit unbalanced, more Kemi and Brittany than Muna, but overall I thought it was well written and the characters believable, I was really rooting for all 3 even while knowing things were not going well, and would not end well.
I thought it was a bit odd, but made perfect sense to center a white man around these women. It would have been a bit of a fantasy to center a Black man. As always with multi POV books I had one person I was most invested in (Kemi) and I could have used the entire book dedicated to her, without the other stories. I believe that Ákínmádé Åkerström wanted to show different social classes, but mostly I thought the balance was off, and Muna who was the least upwardly mobile got the least amount of space in the novel. The twists were not out of no where, but I enjoyed the reading experience and would read others books by her (probably not in this series though)
I thought it was a bit odd, but made perfect sense to center a white man around these women. It would have been a bit of a fantasy to center a Black man. As always with multi POV books I had one person I was most invested in (Kemi) and I could have used the entire book dedicated to her, without the other stories. I believe that Ákínmádé Åkerström wanted to show different social classes, but mostly I thought the balance was off, and Muna who was the least upwardly mobile got the least amount of space in the novel. The twists were not out of no where, but I enjoyed the reading experience and would read others books by her (probably not in this series though)
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was so excited about the premise of this book but ultimately, it missed the mark. While Muna’s storyline was interesting, informative, and quite emotional at times, Brittany and Kemi fall a bit flat in their journeys in Sweden. Their stories were a bit confusing and not very believable which made it more difficult to enjoy reading about their experiences. Muna was the only saving grace of this book but sadly not enough for me to recommend it.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this book at the beginning, it had such a great start. I found Kemi and Brittany's stories more entertaining than Muna. Muna's story kind of dragged but I understand why her story was included.
By the time the book got to part four, everything had gone off the rails and the characters felt like different people in a bad way.
I hated that Kemi and Brittany didn't become friends. I hated that out of nowhere Kemi was out right rude to Brittany for no reason. I hated that Brittany wanted Kemi fired because of it. I hated that Muna comitted suicide. I hated that Jonny wasn't who Brittany thought he was. I mean yes there were signs but omg. I hated that Kemi cheated on Tobias. I also hate Ragnar.
By the time the book got to part four, everything had gone off the rails and the characters felt like different people in a bad way.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Cancer, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Abortion
I only rate books 5 stars so they appear on my profile, and only rate one book per series regardless of how excellent the series as a whole is.
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide