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A review by miyaosamu
Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“Hearts aren't meant to be broken an infinite amount of times.”
I cannot articulate enough how much I treasure this book despite the deep pain it caused me and it's definitely quite possibly my favorite book in the world now, I'm literally still shaking from sobbing my heart out so much from every turn in this. I don't think I've ever emotionally and mentally resonated with a book so much? I genuinely cannot believe this is a debut?!?! I'm still crying and pausing to type this out because this book I just, I've never felt so like deeply seen on such a very personal level. The east Asian representation in this resounds with so many around the world, dealing with internal struggles about our ethnicity and our looks especially with the beauty standard that society has embedded in our minds which insecurities have stemmed. But let me not leave out that Starfish deals with heavy topics of sexual abuse and headspace of anxiety and trauma so that may be quite triggering to some audiences. There's so much for me to vent about because Starfish touched on so many topics and feelings with some of them hitting straight to the heart and mind understanding exactly what Kiko is going through. Going through every step in Kiko's process towards healing and seeing that everything wasn't her ideal was a lot to take in, being in her headspace I really found myself and saw emotions and thoughts I could never put into words or come to terms with. Going to a new environment was so healthy for her, words cannot express how happy I was with the solace and love she was able to discover not just with Jamie but of course with Hiroshi and his family as well. All of them genuinely helping her come to realizations about her life, the people in it and her outlook on herself and her future. I tabbed so many lines while reading, the writing was not only heart-shattering close to home but just so so beautiful on topics of anxiety, insecurities, family, etc. I have so much more I want to say on this book, but I truly just can't thinking coherently right now trying to process everything that happened and the amount of emotions that hit so personally.
I will forever hold this book near and very dear to my heart, I just want to reread it over and over taking in the writing and the story told every time.
“We all have to dream our own dreams. We only get one life to live—live it for yourself, not anyone else.”
“Beauty isn’t a single thing. Beauty is dreaming一it’s different for everyone, and there are so many versions of it that you mostly have no control over how you see it”
“Don't live to please the starfish, especially when their happiness is at the expense of yours. That is not love. That is narcissism. There's an entire ocean out there, Kiko一swim in it.”
I cannot articulate enough how much I treasure this book despite the deep pain it caused me and it's definitely quite possibly my favorite book in the world now, I'm literally still shaking from sobbing my heart out so much from every turn in this. I don't think I've ever emotionally and mentally resonated with a book so much? I genuinely cannot believe this is a debut?!?! I'm still crying and pausing to type this out because this book I just, I've never felt so like deeply seen on such a very personal level. The east Asian representation in this resounds with so many around the world, dealing with internal struggles about our ethnicity and our looks especially with the beauty standard that society has embedded in our minds which insecurities have stemmed. But let me not leave out that Starfish deals with heavy topics of sexual abuse and headspace of anxiety and trauma so that may be quite triggering to some audiences. There's so much for me to vent about because Starfish touched on so many topics and feelings with some of them hitting straight to the heart and mind understanding exactly what Kiko is going through. Going through every step in Kiko's process towards healing and seeing that everything wasn't her ideal was a lot to take in, being in her headspace I really found myself and saw emotions and thoughts I could never put into words or come to terms with. Going to a new environment was so healthy for her, words cannot express how happy I was with the solace and love she was able to discover not just with Jamie but of course with Hiroshi and his family as well. All of them genuinely helping her come to realizations about her life, the people in it and her outlook on herself and her future. I tabbed so many lines while reading, the writing was not only heart-shattering close to home but just so so beautiful on topics of anxiety, insecurities, family, etc. I have so much more I want to say on this book, but I truly just can't thinking coherently right now trying to process everything that happened and the amount of emotions that hit so personally.
I will forever hold this book near and very dear to my heart, I just want to reread it over and over taking in the writing and the story told every time.
“We all have to dream our own dreams. We only get one life to live—live it for yourself, not anyone else.”
“Beauty isn’t a single thing. Beauty is dreaming一it’s different for everyone, and there are so many versions of it that you mostly have no control over how you see it”
“Don't live to please the starfish, especially when their happiness is at the expense of yours. That is not love. That is narcissism. There's an entire ocean out there, Kiko一swim in it.”