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zombiezami's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
3.0
While I think the lessons in this book are great, I didn't really relate to the protagonist. I hoped to like her, but I always find it annoying when people say all vegan/vegetarian food is bad/tasteless, whether in fiction or in real life. It's such an ignorant thing to say. I know it's a common opinion and this wouldn't bother most people, but it's a pet peeve of mine and takes me out of the story.
I also probably would have been more aligned with Imani because the Inspire Harlem group she's a part of sounds like it would be exactly up my alley at that age. For that reason, I didn't relate to Nala's not wanting to be a part of it, but I can understand her frustration with feeling judged by the group. I hope this book is helpful and relatable for others, though.
I also probably would have been more aligned with Imani because the Inspire Harlem group she's a part of sounds like it would be exactly up my alley at that age. For that reason, I didn't relate to Nala's not wanting to be a part of it, but I can understand her frustration with feeling judged by the group. I hope this book is helpful and relatable for others, though.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Police brutality, Bullying, and Abandonment
aimee_amina's review against another edition
2.0
I really really really did not like this book.
I hated the characters and there was no real story other than lying. I hated the main character and there was genuinely nothing to like about her.
The thought process wasn't clear or realistic. A lot of her internal monologue was "I should tell him but I'm too scared to tell him. But maybe I should tell him? Okay I'll tell him... I didn't tell him." Which doesn't flow realistically and is boring to read after a while.
I did love the sense of family and the underlying layers of history and culture thoroughout the book however. That was believable and warmed my heart.
All in all 2 stars, I did finish it but it was a chore.
I hated the characters and there was no real story other than lying. I hated the main character and there was genuinely nothing to like about her.
The thought process wasn't clear or realistic. A lot of her internal monologue was "I should tell him but I'm too scared to tell him. But maybe I should tell him? Okay I'll tell him... I didn't tell him." Which doesn't flow realistically and is boring to read after a while.
I did love the sense of family and the underlying layers of history and culture thoroughout the book however. That was believable and warmed my heart.
All in all 2 stars, I did finish it but it was a chore.
lindaleest's review against another edition
2.0
Een zeer overdreven boek waarbij het hoofdpersonage het bloed onder je nagels vandaan haalt. Pas aan het einde maakt ze haar eerste verstandige opmerking en handelt ze niet uit wanhoop.
soulnius_reads's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
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
5.0
I say I'm not a huge romance reader, but this story kept me enthralled from start to finish. It was such a light, fluffy read with beautiful writing and a loveable main character (Nala). Sure, her insistence on being something that she wasn't was a little frustrating at times but to me, it was very realistic.
I believe we've all gone through that phase in our adolescence of pretending to be something we're not in order to win over friends or a romantic interest so I empathized with Nala.
Overall, this story was great! It tackled the theme of self-discovery perfectly.
I believe we've all gone through that phase in our adolescence of pretending to be something we're not in order to win over friends or a romantic interest so I empathized with Nala.
Overall, this story was great! It tackled the theme of self-discovery perfectly.
sonia_picks's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lisabisa01's review against another edition
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
rosa_theyoungestbookworm's review against another edition
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
sydney_arcuri's review against another edition
3.0
3-3.5/5
The only reason I didn't rate this book higher was because at times I got frustrated with the MC (Nala) and a few of the other characters, mainly because there was a lot of "i'm not like most girls" competition going on . Other than that Watson created a pretty solid ya novel.
The only reason I didn't rate this book higher was because at times I got frustrated with the MC (Nala) and a few of the other characters, mainly because there was a lot of "i'm not like most girls" competition going on . Other than that Watson created a pretty solid ya novel.
balletbookworm's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Read for TBG at the store. A super cute and quick read. But it felt more like a character study of Nala - every time we might have had some stakes (the thing with her mom, the project at her grandma's retirement home, the college application essays, etc.) it always seemed to just fizzle out. Like, everything doesn't need to be ANGST, but it felt like there were no stakes. (Also, I just wanted someone to apologize to her for the Mean Girl making Nala get up on that stage at the block party unprepared.) Nice to have an "older" character YA just working on loving herself and figuring herself out. Loved all Nala's lists and notes to herself.
_ashlee_'s review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75