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siakou's review against another edition
4.0
I was struggling with the first half of the book and almost DNFed it. But as shit started happening I just couldn’t look away.
This was a lot scarier than I thought because it had realistic horrifying elements to it and I can honestly say I’m a changed person after reading this.
This was a lot scarier than I thought because it had realistic horrifying elements to it and I can honestly say I’m a changed person after reading this.
mallmkell's review against another edition
3.0
It was a really interesting concept that I enjoyed. Like other reviews said, it seems like the first 2/3 are a slower story and then the last 1/3 felt like a completely different story that had a much faster pace. Good concept and story, but the writing felt a little disjointed.
fionacashell's review against another edition
3.0
This story takes the anxiety of gentrification and dials it up to eleven. The book does a really good job of making the reader feel the same helplessness and fear as Sydney as her community changes at lightning speed and her existence — both in the community and the world at large — is at risk of being erased.
Alyssa Cole does an excellent job of showing how nerve wracking common microaggressions are when compounded with broader societal trends. She also seamlessly weaves local Brooklyn history into the narrative.
The issues I had with the book come down to the antagonists and the pacing. In fiction I always find it more threatening when the antagonists believe they are acting in a way that is just, even if their moral compass and the actions they take are atrocious. The antagonists in this book seemed to be completely self aware of their villainy and make no justification for it. I 100% believe that women like Kim do exist and that women like Sydney have to deal with them often, but it would have been more interesting to me if the villains hadn’t been openly cruel to Theo as well.
I think that if the book was even 20 pages longer, we could have had a more satisfying ending. The tension mounts throughout the book leading to the reveal, but we don’t have enough time to react to this revelation before the story wraps up. I don’t think we needed an ending where everything is resolved, but having a chance to absorb the information we were just given would have been helpful.
I would still recommend reading this book, and I hope it gets a movie or TV adaptation to explore the themes more in depth.
Alyssa Cole does an excellent job of showing how nerve wracking common microaggressions are when compounded with broader societal trends. She also seamlessly weaves local Brooklyn history into the narrative.
The issues I had with the book come down to the antagonists and the pacing. In fiction I always find it more threatening when the antagonists believe they are acting in a way that is just, even if their moral compass and the actions they take are atrocious. The antagonists in this book seemed to be completely self aware of their villainy and make no justification for it. I 100% believe that women like Kim do exist and that women like Sydney have to deal with them often, but it would have been more interesting to me if the villains hadn’t been openly cruel to Theo as well.
Spoiler
If Kim had been a kind ex girlfriend to Theo, it would have made his choices in the finale that much more difficult and added to the suspense.I think that if the book was even 20 pages longer, we could have had a more satisfying ending. The tension mounts throughout the book leading to the reveal, but we don’t have enough time to react to this revelation before the story wraps up. I don’t think we needed an ending where everything is resolved, but having a chance to absorb the information we were just given would have been helpful.
I would still recommend reading this book, and I hope it gets a movie or TV adaptation to explore the themes more in depth.
lisbethleftwich's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
congressbaby143's review against another edition
4.0
Just the right amount of believability until it reached that part in the hospital.
jennkerr2280's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
4.5
Damn this book didn’t take the path I thought it would! It was a dark and twisty book!
ilikebigbunz's review against another edition
5.0
While the book started out slow and then was a little rushed at then end, I think it suited the story and situation well. The author touches on a lot of important issues that exist today and it’s scary to read this and think that this could actually happen!