Reviews with content warning for Xenophobia - Yolk

Fuck I wish I wasn't an only child.

I hate contemporary references in books with a passion but this one isn't that bad.

My only issue is Jayne is constantly said to be an emotional character but reading through I can barely get a sense of her thought process. She does things / takes actions at random,

for example: kicking out jeremy, going with june to the doctor,

and there was no build up or explanation as to why she decided to do those things. Actually it didn't have to be explained, but those moments felt random from a character whose thoughts we're exclusively able to read. Makes the character feel plot-driven as opposed to character-driven, but the story as a whole doesn't feel the same.

I guess my other issue is misused AAVE. But also... Asian American? From Texas? New York transplants? Color me shocked.

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joeybaldonado's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

2.0

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leeanna's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No

1.5

Damn, this was disappointing.

The plot had a lot of holes, character motivations and actions often didn’t make sense, writing style was inconsistent and… just bad at times (too many pop-culture references, it was all just trying too hard), characters were pretentious and unlikeable and so POORLY-/UNDER-DEVELOPED (a flaw I can’t overlook), the ending felt rushed… I was so bored the entire time, yet everything felt rushed and underdeveloped?

Remind me to stop picking up teen fiction. My 25-year-old brain is too cynical and unforgiving.

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finn_nn's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad tense 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

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cahpicasso's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

what an incredible read!

so much more intense than I'd expected, it felt incredibly accurate even though I never struggled like Jayne. You'll get to see complicated family dynamics, mixed feelings all the time, not knowing what to do with life and wondering if you're the only one who never figure things out.

I loved all the pop-culture references and wish I could follow these characters for a long time after finishing it. 🖤

beware of the trigger warnings at the beginning, it truly is a wild ride. (also, I think the "when the party's over" quote was straight-up brilliant).

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