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keahreads's review
emotional
inspiring
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
4.0
sosireads's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
haleysversion's review
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-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
4.0
lmwrites's review
4.0
Definitely a new favorite of mine -- and a journey on learning how to exist, to take up space. Nala's path shows us that we can still acknowledge where we need to grow while we celebrate other parts of ourselves.
bookishrealm's review
4.0
Surprisingly, I thought that I was going to dislike this especially because it focuses on a young girl altering herself for a teenage boy, but this was done well.
Love Is a Revolution primarily focuses on main character, Nala Robertson, who finds herself falling in love with Tye after attending a spoken word event held by a local organization that her sister-cousin-friend Imani is a part of. Instead of being true to herself, Nala makes the decision to alter various things about her personality to encourage a relationship between herself and Tye. What follows is a hard lesson about falling in love, heartbreak, family, and staying true to oneself.
What Worked: Renee Watson has such beautiful, lyrical writing that made reading this book a breeze. I was captivated by every word, every sentence. There were nods to Jamaican family dynamics and culture that I absolutely loved as well. Surprisingly, I both loved and disliked the character development. Nala is changing herself for a guy and reading her lie to him over and over again was frustrating; HOWEVER, I am not the target audience for this book. When I took a brief second and viewed this story through the lens of teenagers, I realized that this is a story that I would have appreciated growing up. A plus size Black teen that isn't ashamed of her body, but still experiences insecurities in ways that are normal for teenagers. Most of us have changed ourselves in some way hoping to fit in and gain acceptance. Things are no different for Nala. She feels left out of the circle of secondary characters who throw themselves into activism when Nala would rather spend her free time watching movies. Naturally, when she grows feelings for Tye, who is an active member in this circle of friends, Nala doesn't feel like she's up to what would be considered his personal standards. But instead of it being in looks, it's about perceived intelligence through the lens of activism. Lately, there has been an increase in activism in young adult communities. I appreciate that Watson tackles this idea that activism can take place in a variety of ways and sometimes it's okay to JUST be a KID/TEENAGER. As a parent, I fear, sometimes, that we push younger generations to be the change they want to see so heavily that they burn themselves out and forget to enjoy life. Nala brings that balance to the table. She wants to make change, but she also recognizes the importance of simply enjoying friends and family. Nala is by no means a perfect character. She's not always likeable and she can be frustrating, BUT she's still growing. She's a teenager trying to not only find her voice, but also her place in her community. I loved seeing her grow and shift into this person that is actively aware of the decisions that she makes in regard to herself and others. And major props to Watson for the nods to Lucille Clifton. I really appreciated that.
Overall, this was a good book. I know that it won't work for everyone especially for adults, but I really appreciated the commentary that Watson made throughout the story.
Love Is a Revolution primarily focuses on main character, Nala Robertson, who finds herself falling in love with Tye after attending a spoken word event held by a local organization that her sister-cousin-friend Imani is a part of. Instead of being true to herself, Nala makes the decision to alter various things about her personality to encourage a relationship between herself and Tye. What follows is a hard lesson about falling in love, heartbreak, family, and staying true to oneself.
What Worked: Renee Watson has such beautiful, lyrical writing that made reading this book a breeze. I was captivated by every word, every sentence. There were nods to Jamaican family dynamics and culture that I absolutely loved as well. Surprisingly, I both loved and disliked the character development. Nala is changing herself for a guy and reading her lie to him over and over again was frustrating; HOWEVER, I am not the target audience for this book. When I took a brief second and viewed this story through the lens of teenagers, I realized that this is a story that I would have appreciated growing up. A plus size Black teen that isn't ashamed of her body, but still experiences insecurities in ways that are normal for teenagers. Most of us have changed ourselves in some way hoping to fit in and gain acceptance. Things are no different for Nala. She feels left out of the circle of secondary characters who throw themselves into activism when Nala would rather spend her free time watching movies. Naturally, when she grows feelings for Tye, who is an active member in this circle of friends, Nala doesn't feel like she's up to what would be considered his personal standards. But instead of it being in looks, it's about perceived intelligence through the lens of activism. Lately, there has been an increase in activism in young adult communities. I appreciate that Watson tackles this idea that activism can take place in a variety of ways and sometimes it's okay to JUST be a KID/TEENAGER. As a parent, I fear, sometimes, that we push younger generations to be the change they want to see so heavily that they burn themselves out and forget to enjoy life. Nala brings that balance to the table. She wants to make change, but she also recognizes the importance of simply enjoying friends and family. Nala is by no means a perfect character. She's not always likeable and she can be frustrating, BUT she's still growing. She's a teenager trying to not only find her voice, but also her place in her community. I loved seeing her grow and shift into this person that is actively aware of the decisions that she makes in regard to herself and others. And major props to Watson for the nods to Lucille Clifton. I really appreciated that.
Overall, this was a good book. I know that it won't work for everyone especially for adults, but I really appreciated the commentary that Watson made throughout the story.
fernthepanda's review
4.0
I received an eARC courtesy of Bloomsbury via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
A plus-size protagonist?! Yes please! Overall, I loved the storyline and the overall theme of learning to love yourself. While I did not care for the overly pushy activist portrayals, there was very little in this book that I didn't enjoy. I can't wait to get this into the hands of teens.
For Libraries: If you have fans Watson's other books, this is a must-have. And if you don't? You might just want to buy it anyway-it's quite good.
A plus-size protagonist?! Yes please! Overall, I loved the storyline and the overall theme of learning to love yourself. While I did not care for the overly pushy activist portrayals, there was very little in this book that I didn't enjoy. I can't wait to get this into the hands of teens.
For Libraries: If you have fans Watson's other books, this is a must-have. And if you don't? You might just want to buy it anyway-it's quite good.
sclifford's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.25
A fun, breezy read. I was invested in the main character's journey and felt emotional regarding her relationships.
suchonalways__'s review
2.0
The biggest issue was our main lead. Yes, she is young and young people make mistakes. And still, it didn't feel right. The author failed to convey what she was aiming at. It wasn't uplifting or empowering or any of those things. Our main character has issues with people caring about the world. She feels it is a personal attack on her lack of interest in what happens to the planet we live on. She thinks young activists don't know anything. She thinks just because young people are passionate, they lack the maturity to see the full picture. She lies and then gets angry because "nobody loves the real her". Honestly, it was messy. But maybe that's my fault. Cause when the synopsis says "In Love Is a Revolution, plus size girls are beautiful and get the attention of the hot guys", what more can we expect from it?
I know we all want love, sometimes we are more into the idea of love, hand-holding, someone to call to than actually loving someone. And when we are young it's easy to confuse love with hallmark movies and Instagram shots. I know as young people, society puts a lot of pressure on us to fit into a box. They want skinny girls with big boobs. They want our waist to be small and our breasts to be perky. They want a white girl who is spray-tanned but not a person of color. I know this exists. But when an author makes a statement like *in this book plus size girls are beautiful and they get hot guys attention" it's just wrong. Cause even with the bullshit standard, people of all sizes and colors get love and attention. It's not something she invents in this book which by the way implies hot guys don't love plus-size girls normally(or maybe I am just too offended).
I honestly get it that a teenager has issues. I get it where she comes from. I love that she puts her family over everything else. But what I don't get is the lack of understanding in her parts that it isn't one thing or the other even at the end.
I hate that the male lead was one-dimensional and there was only a singular lens we were watching the story from. Maybe that made the story more not for me.
We picked this book as part of the valentines+black history month read for our book club. And honestly, I am a little disappointed.
I know we all want love, sometimes we are more into the idea of love, hand-holding, someone to call to than actually loving someone. And when we are young it's easy to confuse love with hallmark movies and Instagram shots. I know as young people, society puts a lot of pressure on us to fit into a box. They want skinny girls with big boobs. They want our waist to be small and our breasts to be perky. They want a white girl who is spray-tanned but not a person of color. I know this exists. But when an author makes a statement like *in this book plus size girls are beautiful and they get hot guys attention" it's just wrong. Cause even with the bullshit standard, people of all sizes and colors get love and attention. It's not something she invents in this book which by the way implies hot guys don't love plus-size girls normally(or maybe I am just too offended).
I honestly get it that a teenager has issues. I get it where she comes from. I love that she puts her family over everything else. But what I don't get is the lack of understanding in her parts that it isn't one thing or the other even at the end.
I hate that the male lead was one-dimensional and there was only a singular lens we were watching the story from. Maybe that made the story more not for me.
We picked this book as part of the valentines+black history month read for our book club. And honestly, I am a little disappointed.
kim_j_dare's review
4.0
Renee Watson writes such relatable characters. I loved the intimacy of Nala’s family and friends. Her journey toward knowing and loving herself enough to enter into a healthy relationship with someone else was refreshing and genuine.
Thank you, Bloomsbury and NetGalley, for the electronic ARC.
Thank you, Bloomsbury and NetGalley, for the electronic ARC.