A review by janagaton
Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman

5.0

This book is EVERYTHING. From beauty standards to mental health representation to toxic relationships with a parent to racism to Asian standards to a slow-burn romance to character growth to coming of age to acceptance to art to choices to self-discovery to childhood traumas, this book has it all and more. It's a whirlwind of emotions with a bunch of trigger warnings, and definitely worth the read. It touches upon so many hard-hitting and very important topics, and it's all done SO well. Our main character, Kiko, is extremely relatable, and I couldn't help but feel so connected to her and root for her from the beginning to the end of the book. I personally can't think of any flaws in this book. It is so well-rounded in every way, not a single character fell flat nor felt like a filler. The storyline flows seamlessly, and the writing is heartwarming. You grow with Kiko along the way, and you feel everything she feels. This is one of the best debuts I've ever read, and I know I say this a log, but I can't wait to read everything else Akemi Dawn Bowman has written and will write.