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A review by litnlisten
The Blackwoods by Brandy Colbert
emotional
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
3.25
When I saw the cover months ago, I knew I wanted to read it (yes I love me some covers), but when I found out what it was about, I had to read it.
A story about a black Hollywood family, we meet Blossom Blackwood, the matriarch and movie start of this Baldwin Hills family. Blossom just passed and her family is dealing with their grief. We meet her entire family, but the focus is on here great-granddaughters Ardith and Hollis, both teens. While the family grieves, a secret about Blossom’s life is revealed. How will the family react?
Ardith was her great-grandmothers best friend and followed in her footsteps as an actress. Ardith is unlike most celebs as she’s heavily into church and not too big on joining the party scene or having relationships. She focuses on her work and doesn’t really leave time and room for other teens her age. Ardith’s mother was also an actress but lost her life at a young age. Dealing with so much heartache, will Ardith ever be able to let anyone in?
Hollis was never interested in fame, but was surrounded by fame. Not only was her great-grandmother and cousin in show biz, but father and grandfather were both actors. Attending Dupree Academy, the school for LA’s elite, Hollis has some private photos leaked to a celebrity blog. Not being in the spotlight has been Hollis’ thing, but the spotlight is on her now. How will Hollis deal with this invasion of privacy and can she ever trust the person who allowed the photos to be released?
The book was great in going back into Blossom’s life and showed gave us her story from her point of view and then bringing us back into the present with Hollis and Ardith’s point of views. I love reading about black people and families in power. It’s my thing! While it was definitely a slowburn for me, it was still a good story.
A story about a black Hollywood family, we meet Blossom Blackwood, the matriarch and movie start of this Baldwin Hills family. Blossom just passed and her family is dealing with their grief. We meet her entire family, but the focus is on here great-granddaughters Ardith and Hollis, both teens. While the family grieves, a secret about Blossom’s life is revealed. How will the family react?
Ardith was her great-grandmothers best friend and followed in her footsteps as an actress. Ardith is unlike most celebs as she’s heavily into church and not too big on joining the party scene or having relationships. She focuses on her work and doesn’t really leave time and room for other teens her age. Ardith’s mother was also an actress but lost her life at a young age. Dealing with so much heartache, will Ardith ever be able to let anyone in?
Hollis was never interested in fame, but was surrounded by fame. Not only was her great-grandmother and cousin in show biz, but father and grandfather were both actors. Attending Dupree Academy, the school for LA’s elite, Hollis has some private photos leaked to a celebrity blog. Not being in the spotlight has been Hollis’ thing, but the spotlight is on her now. How will Hollis deal with this invasion of privacy and can she ever trust the person who allowed the photos to be released?
The book was great in going back into Blossom’s life and showed gave us her story from her point of view and then bringing us back into the present with Hollis and Ardith’s point of views. I love reading about black people and families in power. It’s my thing! While it was definitely a slowburn for me, it was still a good story.