Reviews with content warning for Racial slurs - Homebodies

Such a frustrating read for me. I’m not really into “bad communication” as the major theme. You spend 700 pages watching someone that you want to care about making awful decisions and don’t get the pay-off when she

finally (FINALLY) tells off the fuckboi.

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siobhanward's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book bore a lot of resemblance to Central Places , which is fresh on my mind since I read it earlier this month. In both books, young women return to their small home towns, full of emotion and then proceed to make a bunch of selfish, poor decisions and wreck a good deal of their lives. I did have a bit more hope for this one, as the premise was more interesting - Mickey was returning home after unfairly losing a job and writing a manifesto on her mistreatment, which was certainly going to be a significant plot element, right?

Unfortunately not. The most interesting part of Mickey's story (her firing, her revenge), means nothing. She doesn't actually do anything after being fired, and anything that happens to her is purely luck and timing. I just can't keep reading about these women being so self-destructive anymore. Life is already there, I don't need it in my fiction too.

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gracescanlon's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book sounded SO good. After reading and enjoying The Other Black Girl a few years ago, Homebodies sounded tangentially similar and more appealing (to me).

The characters, their relationships, and their interactions were believable and well-fleshed out. Mickey’s frustration at the unfairness (at best) of her situation was palpable.

I’d expected the story to primarily be about the racism, micro-aggressions, etc. that Mickey and other POC experience, as well as the effect of her letter and the fallout from its going viral. That was what appealed to me most when I read the inside cover at the library. However, the story focused primarily on Mickey’s current romantic relationship and her reuniting with her first love. It was a good story, but I was still incredibly disappointed that the story I’d been promised was not what I got when I read the book.

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deetabz's review against another edition

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challenging emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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