Reviews with content warning for Death - Did You Hear About Kitty Karr?

Reviews tagging 'Death'

Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul

16 reviews

ksilvio's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

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csl4240's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

When I read the synopsis originally, I thought this would be closer to TJR’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and was so excited. I was expecting the glitz and glam of stardom like Seven Husbands offered. I was a bit disappointed and thought this book blew over that. It mainly talked about what money could get you and the power money held but not so much the celebrity side of it. Idk if that makes sense. This book started off really slow for me, to the point I almost stopped reading. I’m glad I kept going as it did get progressively better!

it’s heartbreaking to imagine the choices each mother made in this story. Each mother was doing what they thought was best for their descendants based on the times. Each one suffered and hurt at the loss of their daughter, while also suffering the loss of their respective mothers. No one walked away unscathed in this story and it shows how times have changed but also still stays the same.

this was not my favorite book and I found the writing to be a bit ostentatious especially at first, like the author was trying to hard. It did eventually settle down but it did discourage me in the beginning.

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haley49's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Such a great story but the ending felt unfinished. There were so many questions for both timelines, I wondered why the author didn’t stick to one. The psychology of the main leads were understandable but their development progression and/or the supporting cast needed more space for that extra umph.

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iamloreal's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative mysterious 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? No

2.75

This book was a slow start for me. It took a while for me to get a true feel for what the book was about because for almost a quarter of the book it had nothing to do with Elise St. John or her family, their backstory, etc. I wish the author would have just focused on Kitty’s life because her character saved this story.

I appreciate the lengths the author went through to depict life for black people post slavery, and the struggle for those that could pass. How their treatment from those in community with them shaped their views of themselves and how painful decisions were often made to secure chances at a better life.

I was let down, though, by the author’s attempt to bridge these timelines together. Elise’s storyline felt like more of an afterthought. Kind of how you’re eating a meal and you get to a small bit on the plate that needs a little seasoning. There were so many questions I had that won’t be answered. Why was the St. John family dynamic strained? Who else knew the secrets? What happened with the investigation? And what happened to the other characters from Kitty’s side of the story?

All in all, this book was ok. I’m glad I opted for the audiobook over a physical copy because it would’ve been a DNF. 🥴

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mdal26's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

3.5

I loved the concept, the story and the characters. Kitty and her friends were interesting and kept me engaged.

That being said, I wish that the storyline in the present had gone deeper - I forgot at times that the story had two timelines because there was a strong focus on the past, and the present felt disconnected at times. In particular, at the end, I wanted to understand the impact and implications of what had happened in the past on the present day characters.

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abicaro17's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-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

3.5

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. Its just kinda meh. The story itself is cool! Kitty is a black woman passing as white and paving her way in Hollywood as a white woman. Shes inspiring and clearly talented but unfortunately her character development later in the book falls flat. The whole end of the book feels rushed compared to the intricate stories about how Kitty made it in Hollywood. I think it would benefit from like 100 more pages of either present day Elise content or Kitty with Elise from her pov. They just seem very disconnected for a close relationship.

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