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lauramrand's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0
Ending was a bit rushed. As I saw pages dwindle I kept wondering if we’d get back to how the book started.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Violence
hangngt_'s review against another edition
5.0
read this for a book club and it was so much fun discussing it with others
honestly I don’t know how to rate this because I don’t really read memoir that much. going into this, I didn’t even know it was memoir. I was so surprised.
that opening with her dad’s letter is so touching, but wow that progress so fast. all the reveal and emotional turning point at the end rly got to me.
it’s so real
the way the author wrote everything and every character felt so real
love her writing style
honestly this got me so excited to read even more memoirs
ps had to speed read it for the club cause I had to go and actually buy it (but I’m a procrastinator), but surprisingly when discussing, I remember most of the details
honestly I don’t know how to rate this because I don’t really read memoir that much. going into this, I didn’t even know it was memoir. I was so surprised.
that opening with her dad’s letter is so touching, but wow that progress so fast. all the reveal and emotional turning point at the end rly got to me.
it’s so real
the way the author wrote everything and every character felt so real
love her writing style
honestly this got me so excited to read even more memoirs
ps had to speed read it for the club cause I had to go and actually buy it (but I’m a procrastinator), but surprisingly when discussing, I remember most of the details
ehomant's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
probably a 3.75 stars for me. this was such a buzzy book when it came out a few years ago and I'm happy I finally got to reading my copy (via audiobook lol)! this is one of those memoirs that makes me wonder how memoirists maintain relationships with their loved ones after their memoir comes out. there are parts of this story that are really difficult to get through, for a variety of reasons, and much of it is what I would describe as "raw." the pacing could have been better, I think—it was slow, then really picked up in an engaging way, then dragged, then time went by VERY quickly. in any case, this story about the author's coming-of-age as a Black woman in Indiana feeling the ripple effects of generational trauma and her father's incarceration, while navigating her own sexuality and developing moral compass, was really compelling.
mindurham's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
4.25
This is one of those books that once you start reading, you can’t seem to it put down. Especially a lived story that tells the tales of navigating imperfect relationships with family, friends, lovers, and self-love.
beccacady3's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.75
careycarpenter's review against another edition
4.0
I loved how open and honest Ashley is as she writes her memoir. I’m impressed, as her ability to really tell the truth and not only that but also learn from it and be able to reflect and share all of it, that’s tough work. She does a great job taking us through her life and how it affected her. It’s not just a story, it’s a reckoning that digs deep. I love hearing the stories of strong women.
beepuke's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Phenomenal. The author has incredible heart!
emmabeckman's review against another edition
4.0
It took a long time for me to become engaged with the story (or at least it FELT like a long time since I was listening to the audiobook). I think if I had read it with my eyes, maybe it would have felt faster. I appreciated that the audio was read by the author, as I think the author can insert more nuance into their own words. But I didn’t particularly like the writing style. So while I was happy to read this book and learn from Ashley’s perspective, there are other memoirs I think I would recommend above this one. I’m grateful that she was willing to tell her story.
(Note for myself: all the page number updates are wrong. There is an hour of non-book content at the end of the audiobook.)
(Note for myself: all the page number updates are wrong. There is an hour of non-book content at the end of the audiobook.)