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caylieratzlaff's review against another edition
5.0
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel! 4.5/5 stars.
I wish we had more Historically Black Boarding Schools (HBBS) because yes, I did google to see how many we actually had remaining because I know how great they would be for some of my students...but we really don't have many left in America. ANYWAYS, this book was really well done. I enjoyed how it discussed intersectionality and other academic areas within the book due to the academics in the schools, and I like how it brought up many of the issues within their lives.
While it was challenging to read the domestic violence occurring, I think this is such an important book for anyone, but especially teenagers, to read. It portrayed the realities of viewing relationship violence happening to someone but feeling powerless in being able to do anything about it. It particulary hit home as someone who spent time in an emotionally abusive relationship and knowing that people had similar conversations to me as Avi had to Belle without success in pulling the victim away from the abuser.
Many of the sub plots were well done too, and I appreciated seeing Avi grow throughout the novel. I deducted it .5 though because I think some of it wasn't developed enough, and I think it would have benefitted, too, from adding discussions of privileges.
I wish we had more Historically Black Boarding Schools (HBBS) because yes, I did google to see how many we actually had remaining because I know how great they would be for some of my students...but we really don't have many left in America. ANYWAYS, this book was really well done. I enjoyed how it discussed intersectionality and other academic areas within the book due to the academics in the schools, and I like how it brought up many of the issues within their lives.
While it was challenging to read the domestic violence occurring, I think this is such an important book for anyone, but especially teenagers, to read. It portrayed the realities of viewing relationship violence happening to someone but feeling powerless in being able to do anything about it. It particulary hit home as someone who spent time in an emotionally abusive relationship and knowing that people had similar conversations to me as Avi had to Belle without success in pulling the victim away from the abuser.
Many of the sub plots were well done too, and I appreciated seeing Avi grow throughout the novel. I deducted it .5 though because I think some of it wasn't developed enough, and I think it would have benefitted, too, from adding discussions of privileges.
soupwitch86's review against another edition
5.0
I just finished this and EXCUSE ME I AM SOBBING. This was beautiful and also fucked me up.
thislibrarylife's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bcat0124's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
5.0
presh's review
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
pstrange's review
3.0
I Loved:
-Don’t let the cute cover fool you! This book deals with some very heavy topics (black maternal mortality, black sisterhood, dealing w/ failure, domestic violence, how to deal with rivalry, the deceptiveness of public persona & social media, the importance of having a supportive family, the pressures of black excellence, etc.) The heavy topics aren’t just inconveniently & lightly sprinkled throughout the story as an afterthought, they’re intimately & intricately interwoven into the characters' stories, which I really enjoyed!
-the setting of this book, a HBBS. I’m a 34-year-old black woman & I’ve never even heard of an HBBS. I found the setting to be fantastic! I loved how Brianna described the boarding school in detail (the school crest, uniforms, professors, etc.) I really felt like I was there & it made me wish I had the opportunity to attend an HBBS or an HBCU. There is such cultural value in going to a school filled with professors & students who look like you. I appreciate the time the author took to familiarize me with Briarcliff Prep.
-how the the main character Avi, although not perfect & only 14, was very empathetic, insightful, observant, & smart
-that even though there’s romance in the book, it wasn’t the main concern of the teenage girls. They didn’t just get together and talk about the boys they liked. They also encouraged one another. The sisterhood (biological & non-biological) in this book was beautiful!
-how this book really made me take a good, long, hard look at myself because after Avi found out that Logan was abusing Belle, she was so angered by what she perceived to be her sister’s stupidity in choosing to stay with him. And I found myself agreeing with Avi & being hard on Belle. Although I’ve never (thank God) found myself in a situation like this, I would imagine that an abused girl would need compassion, empathy, kindness, & love, especially from the one person who knows her shameful secret. It just reminds me of how easy it can be to criticize or judge someone whose shoes you’ve never walked a mile in.
-how merciless & unforgiving social media & the public are concerning domestic violence, especially when it’s someone who is famous & popular. To be physically abused is already a traumatic experience. On top of that, to have to worry about people minimizing your trauma to a joke or meme, peoples opinions (with or without entire or partial knowledge of facts), pictures, polls, posts, & trolls complicates the situation even further.
-how this book made me ask, how far is the black community willing to go to excuse black boys & men in favor of protecting black girls and women? What are we willing to ignore? Who are we willing to believe? Who are we willing to cancel? How are we willing to support black girls and women who are survivors? Who are we willing to hold accountable?
I Would’ve Loved:
-if Avi was a better communicator, less whiny, & more consistent (Who is at 14?!). When it came to communicating to Q, she was shy, timid, & unsure. Yet, when it came to physical intimacy with him, she was very confident, dominant, & straightforward. I wondered if she should’ve been a little older, maybe in her 2nd or 3rd year at Briarcliff…
-if it wasn’t as predictable at some points
-if Belle & Moe didn’t blame Avi for what happened. Bella blames her for the fallout & Moe blames her for allowing the actual abuse! As her older siblings, they were wrong to put that burden on their younger sister. Again, she’s only 14 & already felt guilty.
-Avi & Moe’s ending felt rushed & unresolved. After he’d accused her of allowing Belle to be abused, their dad says that he’s going to apologize to her. We aren’t given that conversation. All we get is him ‘roughly bumping her shoulder, reminding her ‘to not let anyone punk her’
-Avi & Q’s ending also felt like a rushed, unresolved afterthought in the epilogue! She tells him that the therapist told her she may have been projecting bad feelings about Logan & relationships in general onto him, but it felt like ‘too little, too late.’ She has already been dodging his phone calls & text messages for weeks! They didn’t get the opportunity nor time to talk things out. She didn’t share her poem. There wasn’t even a date set for seeing each other over the summer! I was completely & utterly unsatisfied with the way their romance ended. I felt slighted. Q was her first kiss, first boyfriend, & gifted her her first piece of jewelry. He was so sweet & emotionally vulnerable with her. I just don’t understand how she couldn’t open up to him about how she was feeling. Why would she shut him out when she needed him the most, especially when he’d proven himself to be so caring?! Not only that, but after this entire situation, her dad tells her that she ‘didn’t trust her gut.’ Q noticed the exact same thing in her when he started tutoring her & he encouraged her to ‘trust her gut.’ How could she not make that connection that Q knew her as well as her own father & saw in her what she had yet to see in herself?!
-The 3rd person writing was good, but I think 1st person from Avi’s & Belle’s perspectives especially would’ve been great!
-I don’t know if less time should’ve been spent in the beginning of the story building up the Briarcliff Prep world, so that more time was spent at the ending tying up loose ends, relationally. The ending felt rushed, unresolved, & a lot of the relational reconciliation was unaddressed. I was invested in these characters. I cared about what happened to them. I wanted a front row seat to what their relational reconciliation may have looked like before ending the story. Here are a few examples:
1. It’s mentioned that Belle & Nevaeh are back cool, but we aren’t provided w/ what that conversation actually was.
2. Avi’s conversation with her Mom after the entire incident goes unaddressed.
3. Avi & Q’s romantic reconciliation is barely addressed & unsatisfactory.
4. Avi & Moe deserved a big brother, little sister moment & that goes unaddressed.
5. Fallon writes letters to both Avi & Bella, that goes unshared w/ the reader.
-Don’t let the cute cover fool you! This book deals with some very heavy topics (black maternal mortality, black sisterhood, dealing w/ failure, domestic violence, how to deal with rivalry, the deceptiveness of public persona & social media, the importance of having a supportive family, the pressures of black excellence, etc.) The heavy topics aren’t just inconveniently & lightly sprinkled throughout the story as an afterthought, they’re intimately & intricately interwoven into the characters' stories, which I really enjoyed!
-the setting of this book, a HBBS. I’m a 34-year-old black woman & I’ve never even heard of an HBBS. I found the setting to be fantastic! I loved how Brianna described the boarding school in detail (the school crest, uniforms, professors, etc.) I really felt like I was there & it made me wish I had the opportunity to attend an HBBS or an HBCU. There is such cultural value in going to a school filled with professors & students who look like you. I appreciate the time the author took to familiarize me with Briarcliff Prep.
-how the the main character Avi, although not perfect & only 14, was very empathetic, insightful, observant, & smart
-that even though there’s romance in the book, it wasn’t the main concern of the teenage girls. They didn’t just get together and talk about the boys they liked. They also encouraged one another. The sisterhood (biological & non-biological) in this book was beautiful!
-how this book really made me take a good, long, hard look at myself because after Avi found out that Logan was abusing Belle, she was so angered by what she perceived to be her sister’s stupidity in choosing to stay with him. And I found myself agreeing with Avi & being hard on Belle. Although I’ve never (thank God) found myself in a situation like this, I would imagine that an abused girl would need compassion, empathy, kindness, & love, especially from the one person who knows her shameful secret. It just reminds me of how easy it can be to criticize or judge someone whose shoes you’ve never walked a mile in.
-how merciless & unforgiving social media & the public are concerning domestic violence, especially when it’s someone who is famous & popular. To be physically abused is already a traumatic experience. On top of that, to have to worry about people minimizing your trauma to a joke or meme, peoples opinions (with or without entire or partial knowledge of facts), pictures, polls, posts, & trolls complicates the situation even further.
-how this book made me ask, how far is the black community willing to go to excuse black boys & men in favor of protecting black girls and women? What are we willing to ignore? Who are we willing to believe? Who are we willing to cancel? How are we willing to support black girls and women who are survivors? Who are we willing to hold accountable?
I Would’ve Loved:
-if Avi was a better communicator, less whiny, & more consistent (Who is at 14?!). When it came to communicating to Q, she was shy, timid, & unsure. Yet, when it came to physical intimacy with him, she was very confident, dominant, & straightforward. I wondered if she should’ve been a little older, maybe in her 2nd or 3rd year at Briarcliff…
-if it wasn’t as predictable at some points
-if Belle & Moe didn’t blame Avi for what happened. Bella blames her for the fallout & Moe blames her for allowing the actual abuse! As her older siblings, they were wrong to put that burden on their younger sister. Again, she’s only 14 & already felt guilty.
-Avi & Moe’s ending felt rushed & unresolved. After he’d accused her of allowing Belle to be abused, their dad says that he’s going to apologize to her. We aren’t given that conversation. All we get is him ‘roughly bumping her shoulder, reminding her ‘to not let anyone punk her’
-Avi & Q’s ending also felt like a rushed, unresolved afterthought in the epilogue! She tells him that the therapist told her she may have been projecting bad feelings about Logan & relationships in general onto him, but it felt like ‘too little, too late.’ She has already been dodging his phone calls & text messages for weeks! They didn’t get the opportunity nor time to talk things out. She didn’t share her poem. There wasn’t even a date set for seeing each other over the summer! I was completely & utterly unsatisfied with the way their romance ended. I felt slighted. Q was her first kiss, first boyfriend, & gifted her her first piece of jewelry. He was so sweet & emotionally vulnerable with her. I just don’t understand how she couldn’t open up to him about how she was feeling. Why would she shut him out when she needed him the most, especially when he’d proven himself to be so caring?! Not only that, but after this entire situation, her dad tells her that she ‘didn’t trust her gut.’ Q noticed the exact same thing in her when he started tutoring her & he encouraged her to ‘trust her gut.’ How could she not make that connection that Q knew her as well as her own father & saw in her what she had yet to see in herself?!
-The 3rd person writing was good, but I think 1st person from Avi’s & Belle’s perspectives especially would’ve been great!
-I don’t know if less time should’ve been spent in the beginning of the story building up the Briarcliff Prep world, so that more time was spent at the ending tying up loose ends, relationally. The ending felt rushed, unresolved, & a lot of the relational reconciliation was unaddressed. I was invested in these characters. I cared about what happened to them. I wanted a front row seat to what their relational reconciliation may have looked like before ending the story. Here are a few examples:
1. It’s mentioned that Belle & Nevaeh are back cool, but we aren’t provided w/ what that conversation actually was.
2. Avi’s conversation with her Mom after the entire incident goes unaddressed.
3. Avi & Q’s romantic reconciliation is barely addressed & unsatisfactory.
4. Avi & Moe deserved a big brother, little sister moment & that goes unaddressed.
5. Fallon writes letters to both Avi & Bella, that goes unshared w/ the reader.
donnakay's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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? Yes
3.5
adrenabereading's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Domestic abuse
kiwi_00's review
emotional
reflective
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
4.0
This book has a special place in my heart alongside Wash Day Diaries and Confessions Of An Alleged Good Girl. I felt seen as the writers of these books showed strong sisterhoods or described things that are universal to being a Black girl/woman. (I would also recommend Odd Girls Out, a webcomic on the Webtoon Naver site/ app for more fiction on sisterhood and teenage girl friendships).
Things I liked
Things I liked
- The pacing throughout the book was almost perfect- not too fast but not too slow either.
- The description of Briarcliff Prep, Preston Academy and the professors really helped to make me feel absorbed in the book. It made me wonder what it would be like to have HBCUs or a HBBS in the UK.
- There were multiple things that Avi was focused on - Her friends,
Quincy , her sister, her grades and the school newspaper and all the drama that came with it. It helped to flesh out her character and make her seem more real. - The emphasis of sisterhood regardless if it was a blood relation or not. I loved the friendships in the story.
- The boarding school setting- Shout out to younger me being obsessed with the Mallory Towers series.
Things I did not like
- The ending- Too many things happen behind the scenes and are mentioned in passing when I think that making the book a bit longer would have helped. For example
When Moe blames Avi for not telling anyone about Belle being in an abusive relationship , I would have liked to see them have an actual conversation about it where he apologises to her. Same issues forBelle and Nevaeh rekindling their friendship and Quincy and Avi's last conversation which just felt unfinished . - Moe- I'm aware that he was written like this on purpose as a chance to have critique/commentary on how Black men tapping into patriarchy harms and endangers Black women who often have to protect each other from that and other forms of white supremacy. That being said, I hated the way he kept trying to impose himself as an authority figure in Avi's life especially in situations where she could and should exercise her own autonomy. For example
even though their dad had given Avi permission to date Quincy, Moe kept butting in to tell her that he didn't approve and initially was not going to allow her to date Quincy or telling her that she shouldn't dress the way she does . The way he acted throughout the book is very indicative of how Black men (and other who agree with Black patriarchy) try to police and remove autonomy from Black girls and women under the guise of protecting them especially from other men but when it is time to stand ten toes down, put his money where his mouth is or to walk the walk, he didn't do any protecting. Alarm bells should have started going off in his head, when Avi kept repeatedlysaying that she did not like Logan .
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse