Scan barcode
elwood's review against another edition
5.0
A masterpiece on what it is to be a Black man in modern London, and all western countries for that matter. It’s difficult to find the right words to describe this piece. Nelson’s talent to write so beautifully about something so difficult and so exhausting is nothing less than pure talent. An absolute must read for everyone.
milknbiscuits00's review against another edition
4.0
This book is beautifully written. It feels like reading a long poetry than a novella. At first, the "poetic" writing style seems too much and kinda made me cringe a little, it also makes the story feels so slow, but after reading about 70% of the book, I could finally see the beauty.
I thought it was gonna be purely romantic, but actually, it was more than that. There are other topics like racism and mental health issues that are also important to connect the plot and build the whole story.
Besides the unusual pov, I love the way the author described the complex emotions of the character You. When he fell in love, when he was scared, when he enjoyed music, when he was longing for his grandmother's affection, when he tried to hide his pain and trauma.. it feels so natural and true. This book shows me how racism, violence, traumas, and mental health issues can affect someone's life & relationship, make people feel vulnerable, and make them feel unseen and not belong.
I thought it was gonna be purely romantic, but actually, it was more than that. There are other topics like racism and mental health issues that are also important to connect the plot and build the whole story.
Besides the unusual pov, I love the way the author described the complex emotions of the character You. When he fell in love, when he was scared, when he enjoyed music, when he was longing for his grandmother's affection, when he tried to hide his pain and trauma.. it feels so natural and true. This book shows me how racism, violence, traumas, and mental health issues can affect someone's life & relationship, make people feel vulnerable, and make them feel unseen and not belong.
saomie's review against another edition
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The writing style in this book is so beautiful. Everything was described so well, maybe because I used to live in London too, but I felt like I could imagine every scene and person so clearly.
jemmatrainor's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
4.5
issy_jacob's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Police brutality
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
roc050's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
mark_17's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
relaxing
medium-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
5.0
jules_0021's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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
3.75
This book was good and very different from anything that I’ve ever read. Idk but I didn’t fully ever get completely emerged in the story and it felt like something was missing.