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ashleysilver7's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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 don't give 5 star reviews lightly - this book was extremely relatable and did a good job of honestly telling a story about 2 friends who are very different: one is white, and one is Black. Jen and Riley have been best friends since they were little girls, but their friendship has always had barriers: Riley, a successful, Black journalist often lets Jen get away with "accidental" racist comments. However, this all changes when Riley is forced to cover the death of a 14 year-old unarmed Black child, and it hits too close to home for Jen....
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infertility, Racial slurs, and Racism
evaribaker's review against another edition
3.0
Meh. It was fine. There were a lot of tropes, but I suppose that is to be expected
elizakaspar1988's review against another edition
5.0
This is a timely and intriguing book. I knew the ending was going to make or break how I felt about it and I am so impressed with how they chose to end it.
I thought the relationship between Riley and Jen was very realistic. Two friends that used to be as close as sisters have drifted apart as they grew up and moved to different cities. I related to that drive to rekindle the flames of the old friendship because it was special to both of them. Jen says and does some things that I definitely don't agree with, but it makes sense because her character is going through so many emotions and trying to keep it together. She's definitely ignorant on certain topics but seems like she is willing to learn. Which brings us to Riley. Open up more friend! About everything, with everyone. A lot of her problems would be less of a thing if she would just have an honest talk with other people.
And my favorite character of the book was Wes, Justin's uncle. He was sweet and genuine and really tried to see the best in everyone. And he could have been angry and vengeful, he definitely had a reason to be!
Now onto that ending. I liked that everything wasn't tied up all pretty with a bow. Kevin chooses to testify and, realistically, is basically shunned by all his former co-workers, friends, and family. I was worried that all the cops were going to forgive Kevin and have some big revelation that killing unarmed black children is not okay (which is obviously not realistic at all). But this ending showed that not all cops are good, but they aren't all bad either. Riley and Jen's friendship isn't how it used to be, but they're working on it and they seem hopeful about the future.
Overall, this book is recommended for pretty much everyone. It does a great job of showing the conflicting emotions that characters feel in a complicated situation.
I thought the relationship between Riley and Jen was very realistic. Two friends that used to be as close as sisters have drifted apart as they grew up and moved to different cities. I related to that drive to rekindle the flames of the old friendship because it was special to both of them. Jen says and does some things that I definitely don't agree with, but it makes sense because her character is going through so many emotions and trying to keep it together. She's definitely ignorant on certain topics but seems like she is willing to learn. Which brings us to Riley. Open up more friend! About everything, with everyone. A lot of her problems would be less of a thing if she would just have an honest talk with other people.
And my favorite character of the book was Wes, Justin's uncle. He was sweet and genuine and really tried to see the best in everyone. And he could have been angry and vengeful, he definitely had a reason to be!
Now onto that ending. I liked that everything wasn't tied up all pretty with a bow. Kevin chooses to testify and, realistically, is basically shunned by all his former co-workers, friends, and family. I was worried that all the cops were going to forgive Kevin and have some big revelation that killing unarmed black children is not okay (which is obviously not realistic at all). But this ending showed that not all cops are good, but they aren't all bad either. Riley and Jen's friendship isn't how it used to be, but they're working on it and they seem hopeful about the future.
Overall, this book is recommended for pretty much everyone. It does a great job of showing the conflicting emotions that characters feel in a complicated situation.
jennytseng01's review against another edition
3.0
i picked this up because i was intrigued to read how these two authors portrayed the friendship and the writing flowed seamlessly between the viewpoints but some of the feelings described between Jen and Riley felt unfinished… i found jen kind of annoying in the classic well i don’t know any better way and i wanted riley and Jen to be able to confront that more but i guess that’s not what always happens in real life anyways
emilyrose724's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
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
3.75
vanesst's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Police brutality, and Murder
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Infertility, Medical content, and Pregnancy
kristin_roemer's review against another edition
5.0
Started on paper form, finished in audiobook form. Fantastic. Gripping (timely) premise and didn’t shy away from hard ideas.
sabinaleybold's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
4.25
keegan_rellim_taylor's review against another edition
4.0
*** Some Favorite Quotation:***
"It kills me how some people want so badly to believe racism is buried beneath layers and layers of history, "ancient history," they say. But it's not. It's like an umpire brushing the thinnest layer of dirt of home plate: it's right there. Only too often the trauma, the toll of it, remains unknown generation after generation. Like how Gigi kept her own awful secret, presumably to protect us from the ugly truth, and I've kept my own secrets, haunted by a similar shame." (p. 106)
"I'm relieved to see that the crowd really is peaceful, so many faces filled with righteous conviction and purpose. Nonetheless, my cynicism creeps in *Ain't nothing changed but the music.* All the clever signs and chants, the people who showed up just so they could post it to their social media, what does it add up to? How many marches have there been? How many calls for justice? How many lawsuits? How many 'national conversations about race'? But then again, maybe this is something. No one had marched for Jimmy; no one had demanded justice. Instead, terror had chased our family out of town, paralyzed them in silence for decades. So maybe the marching, rallying, showing up, it serves a purpose. It says, *We will not be invisible or afraid. We will not give up.* And that's not thing. It might actually be everything." (P. 114)
This is becoming a grim ritual -- the video release of a racist encounter or worse, a murder. Granted, I understand why they go viral, why the media plays them on a constant loop. There's a prurient, click-bait quality that people can't turn away from. But sometimes it gets to be too much. You're buying a pair of shoes online and, boom, you're seeing someone get brutally Tasered at a traffic stop while his toddler waits in the car, all because he didn't signal properly. You're catching up on your friend's wedding photos on Facebook and, with one click, there's cops savagely slamming a teenage girl in a swimsuit to the ground and punching while she cries for someone to please call her mom. It's all a relentless reminder that there will always be people who see you, and people who look like you, as dangerous, or unwelcome, or inferior. The hurt that comes with watching these videos accumulates, a scab breaking open again and again. Then comes the paranoia: after all, these are only the incidents caught on camera; you have to wonder what people are doing or saying beyond the reach of the lens-- a lot worse, probably. So it's hard, harder every day, harder with every video, to snuff down the humiliation and anger to simply get on with breakfast, bedtime . . . life. But still, however painful, I recognize the power these videos have to say, *Look, this happens, this is real, please do not turn away.* It's the same reason I do my job: *People do need to see this.*" (P. 240)
"Part of our friendship, of any relationship really, is the tacit agreement to allow a generous latitude for flaws and grievances. A trade-off that goes both ways, glass houses and whatnot--and besides, if you start holding your friends accountable for all their flaws, if you let the annoyances add up on a mental spreadsheet, the whole thing could come toppling down. . . . It's a paradox, loving someone precisely because you know them so well, inside and out, and at the same time nursing a tiny fantasy that they can be different in specific ways you want them to be." (P. 244-245)
"It occurred to me right there on the sidewalk that being a mother meant I would fail a little every day, and this was the first of many mistakes I would make even as I vowed to do my best, to keep him safe and protect him." (P. 300)
******
In this story, two childhood best friends find themselves at odds when the Black newscaster is assigned to cover the story of her white best friend's husband shooting a Black teenager.
I just read a review that has me questioning my excitement for this story, with some really valid critiques. Nevertheless, if I'm honest, I was really invested in this story and felt like it was a compelling storyline. It might be that I had just put down a slow read and the pacing on this one is much more fast-paced. It might be that it's just so relevant.
The critique I read said that the book never got hard, but
Also, the level of hard that it reaches probably keeps it more accessible for book clubs, and I don't think that's a bad thing if it brings the conversation about race to a wider audience. There were things about this book that helped make it too easy or too neat -- should the women have remained friends? Did Jen do enough to show she was going to change? Did Riley have to give up too much to keep the friendship in tact? Did Riley do too much self-flagellation about how she should have opened up more? Should she have?
Some of these questions are hard to answer because the friendship is just picking up on a new and rocky footing. I think a good book club would discuss that the friendship can only continue if Jen makes some genuine, deep changes.
"It kills me how some people want so badly to believe racism is buried beneath layers and layers of history, "ancient history," they say. But it's not. It's like an umpire brushing the thinnest layer of dirt of home plate: it's right there. Only too often the trauma, the toll of it, remains unknown generation after generation. Like how Gigi kept her own awful secret, presumably to protect us from the ugly truth, and I've kept my own secrets, haunted by a similar shame." (p. 106)
"I'm relieved to see that the crowd really is peaceful, so many faces filled with righteous conviction and purpose. Nonetheless, my cynicism creeps in *Ain't nothing changed but the music.* All the clever signs and chants, the people who showed up just so they could post it to their social media, what does it add up to? How many marches have there been? How many calls for justice? How many lawsuits? How many 'national conversations about race'? But then again, maybe this is something. No one had marched for Jimmy; no one had demanded justice. Instead, terror had chased our family out of town, paralyzed them in silence for decades. So maybe the marching, rallying, showing up, it serves a purpose. It says, *We will not be invisible or afraid. We will not give up.* And that's not thing. It might actually be everything." (P. 114)
This is becoming a grim ritual -- the video release of a racist encounter or worse, a murder. Granted, I understand why they go viral, why the media plays them on a constant loop. There's a prurient, click-bait quality that people can't turn away from. But sometimes it gets to be too much. You're buying a pair of shoes online and, boom, you're seeing someone get brutally Tasered at a traffic stop while his toddler waits in the car, all because he didn't signal properly. You're catching up on your friend's wedding photos on Facebook and, with one click, there's cops savagely slamming a teenage girl in a swimsuit to the ground and punching while she cries for someone to please call her mom. It's all a relentless reminder that there will always be people who see you, and people who look like you, as dangerous, or unwelcome, or inferior. The hurt that comes with watching these videos accumulates, a scab breaking open again and again. Then comes the paranoia: after all, these are only the incidents caught on camera; you have to wonder what people are doing or saying beyond the reach of the lens-- a lot worse, probably. So it's hard, harder every day, harder with every video, to snuff down the humiliation and anger to simply get on with breakfast, bedtime . . . life. But still, however painful, I recognize the power these videos have to say, *Look, this happens, this is real, please do not turn away.* It's the same reason I do my job: *People do need to see this.*" (P. 240)
"Part of our friendship, of any relationship really, is the tacit agreement to allow a generous latitude for flaws and grievances. A trade-off that goes both ways, glass houses and whatnot--and besides, if you start holding your friends accountable for all their flaws, if you let the annoyances add up on a mental spreadsheet, the whole thing could come toppling down. . . . It's a paradox, loving someone precisely because you know them so well, inside and out, and at the same time nursing a tiny fantasy that they can be different in specific ways you want them to be." (P. 244-245)
"It occurred to me right there on the sidewalk that being a mother meant I would fail a little every day, and this was the first of many mistakes I would make even as I vowed to do my best, to keep him safe and protect him." (P. 300)
******
In this story, two childhood best friends find themselves at odds when the Black newscaster is assigned to cover the story of her white best friend's husband shooting a Black teenager.
I just read a review that has me questioning my excitement for this story, with some really valid critiques. Nevertheless, if I'm honest, I was really invested in this story and felt like it was a compelling storyline. It might be that I had just put down a slow read and the pacing on this one is much more fast-paced. It might be that it's just so relevant.
The critique I read said that the book never got hard, but
Spoiler
the two friends finally do address race, and I know that can be hard to even start into that topic. It can be hard to face that nuance that someone can be a "good person" but still do and say racist things. As a white person, I know this, but I've also heard about it from Black people in their relationships.Also, the level of hard that it reaches probably keeps it more accessible for book clubs, and I don't think that's a bad thing if it brings the conversation about race to a wider audience. There were things about this book that helped make it too easy or too neat -- should the women have remained friends? Did Jen do enough to show she was going to change? Did Riley have to give up too much to keep the friendship in tact? Did Riley do too much self-flagellation about how she should have opened up more? Should she have?
Some of these questions are hard to answer because the friendship is just picking up on a new and rocky footing. I think a good book club would discuss that the friendship can only continue if Jen makes some genuine, deep changes.