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peachani's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Toxic relationship, Lesbophobia, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Fatphobia, Racial slurs, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, and Alcohol
calamitydane's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
5.0
I'm in love with this book. I ate it up. The characters were lovable and relatable and flawed in a way that made them so real. The literary voice was very strong. It felt like sitting down with friends and listening to them vent. And it really showed some stuff that people like me don't see but is reality for so many people.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Racism, and Grief
maceydowns's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Body shaming, Drug use, Fatphobia, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, and Classism
tbagherlee's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-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
I enjoyed this book mostly because it reminded me of people I love who have had experiences like this. I liked the queerness being a central focus. (I will think a long time about the quote about being in a woman’s arms was the closest Mickey felt to God). Small detail but I enjoyed the names of characters in this book: I thought they were unique without being too out there. I wish I had more closure with the ending and where things landed for Mickey, and I wish the plot just moved faster. But this is not a book you read for plot. Even with parts of Mickey I didn’t relate to, I still enjoyed reading her story
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
preciouslittleingenue's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Chatted with someone in Sapphlit about this, and she said the synopsis wasn't very accurate. I hadn't actually read it before diving in, so I did, to see if she was right. And she was. The synopsis kind of hypes it up to be more than what it really is. It makes it seem like this reclaiming-energy narrative where Mickey gets back at the company and finds herself...and that really wasn't it at all.
I waited weeks and weeks to get this audiobook on Libby, missed the book club discussion for JUNE because I didn't get it until AUGUST. So I expected a lot. But it was just kind of a slog to get through. When I really love a book, I'm hitting play whenever I'm doing ANYTHING, and it even makes me WANT to get stuff done while it's playing, because it makes it enjoyable. This was just...not enjoyable. I wasn't necessarily bored, but I was also not at all engaged.
I had really high hopes at the beginning. I really thought Lex and Mickey's established relationship was very sweet and I found myself shipping them right away. But once the cracks began to show I was like ohhhh shit. Yeah this isn't great. I get where they were both coming from, but your SO's mother tearing you down and the SO doing nothing to intervene is really psychologically damaging, so in that way I think Mickey was right for wanting to break up. I don't think Lex really understood the severity of that. At the same time, Mickey went total self-destruct after her termination, which is valid and understandable, but the people you live with can only be understanding for so long. I was so excited to see this dynamic play out and resolve, but it just...didn't.
I don't condone cheating, but I understood why Mickey slept with Ti, and frankly, I can't say I wouldn't have done the same if I was in that exact position. But again, it didn't RESOLVE. It just jumped to the end. The transition to the very zoomed out narration of how the tweet blew up was REALLY jarring, and I had to go all the way back to the previous chapter to make sure I hadn't completely dazed out while a smoother transition was happening. Nope. It really was that abrupt. And then we're at the morning show interview, nothing is resolved with Lex, or really within Mickey herself, and then it just...ends. Without even knowing how the interview goes or what comes of it for her. I just don't really understand what I was supposed to get from this book. It had so much potential that just built and built and then it ended on literally nothing. I haven't watched the author interview from Sapphlit yet so maybe that will illuminate, but also I should be able to figure it out without talking to the author.
So, yeah. I did find the writing gorgeous, near exquisite in some places, so that's why I gave it one star extra than I'd like to.
I waited weeks and weeks to get this audiobook on Libby, missed the book club discussion for JUNE because I didn't get it until AUGUST. So I expected a lot. But it was just kind of a slog to get through. When I really love a book, I'm hitting play whenever I'm doing ANYTHING, and it even makes me WANT to get stuff done while it's playing, because it makes it enjoyable. This was just...not enjoyable. I wasn't necessarily bored, but I was also not at all engaged.
I had really high hopes at the beginning. I really thought Lex and Mickey's established relationship was very sweet and I found myself shipping them right away. But once the cracks began to show I was like ohhhh shit. Yeah this isn't great. I get where they were both coming from, but your SO's mother tearing you down and the SO doing nothing to intervene is really psychologically damaging, so in that way I think Mickey was right for wanting to break up. I don't think Lex really understood the severity of that. At the same time, Mickey went total self-destruct after her termination, which is valid and understandable, but the people you live with can only be understanding for so long. I was so excited to see this dynamic play out and resolve, but it just...didn't.
I don't condone cheating, but I understood why Mickey slept with Ti, and frankly, I can't say I wouldn't have done the same if I was in that exact position. But again, it didn't RESOLVE. It just jumped to the end. The transition to the very zoomed out narration of how the tweet blew up was REALLY jarring, and I had to go all the way back to the previous chapter to make sure I hadn't completely dazed out while a smoother transition was happening. Nope. It really was that abrupt. And then we're at the morning show interview, nothing is resolved with Lex, or really within Mickey herself, and then it just...ends. Without even knowing how the interview goes or what comes of it for her. I just don't really understand what I was supposed to get from this book. It had so much potential that just built and built and then it ended on literally nothing. I haven't watched the author interview from Sapphlit yet so maybe that will illuminate, but also I should be able to figure it out without talking to the author.
So, yeah. I did find the writing gorgeous, near exquisite in some places, so that's why I gave it one star extra than I'd like to.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism
citybookspgh's review
inspiring
reflective
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? No
4.0
A young woman confronts racism in the publishing world. Subplot is a Sapphic love story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Classism
hawk_just_hawk's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
3.5
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Body shaming and Fatphobia
Minor: Religious bigotry
poisoned_icecream's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Sexism
siobhanward's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Toxic relationship
Minor: Racial slurs
gracescanlon's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Fatphobia, Homophobia, Racial slurs, and Racism
Minor: Body shaming, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail