Scan barcode
A review by bookswhitme
Cherish Farrah by Bethany C. Morrow
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
CW: mentions of physical violence and on page physical violence, vomit, targeted violence, manipulation, discussions and demonstrations of racism (including systemic racism), white savior discussions/trope, visualized violence (violence thought about being inflicted on someone else, but not carried out), self-harm, intentional harm inflicted on another person
4.5! Listen...I can't relate to the people who didn't enjoy this. One, this book is written in a way that is supposed to keep you off kilter and uncomfortable. There are a lot of undercurrents in play here and so those uncomfortable feelings don't just come from one particular place. This put me into a similar mindset as When No One Was Watching towards the end of the story (which isn't a spoiler, but definitely a clue). I will say this, if you're not a Black reader and this book makes you feel some type of way, this may be a great time to do some soul searching and reflection on WHY you couldn't sit in that uncomfortable feeling and what caused them.
The focus of this story is Farrah, a young Black girl currently going through having her life being upended because of her parents financial troubles. She's been staying with her best friend Cherish, another young Black girl, though she was adopted by white parents. Farrah sees everything as a mental game. Nothing is every as it seems and everyone always has ulterior motives. Everyone except White Girl Spoiled, naïve Cherish. Farrah's determined to have a say in her future. Control. That's the key. She's in control of her life and everything around her and she won't accept anything less. Except, maybe Farrah isn't as in control as she'd like to think. And maybe, just maybe, someone knows how to play this game better than she does.
I've seen a few reviews that said that none of these characters were likable. That's absolutely true. I'm of the mindset though that I don't have to like the characters to like a book: another thing that makes me put this book in the same category of When No One Was Watching. Each character has their own flaws. None are better than they other, just different in the how and why. Farrah and Cherish are certainly at the center of this story, though maybe not for the reasons that you think.
Every new layer and element that was revealed only served to draw me in more until I was on the edge of my seat. Maybe I had such a great reaction to this because I listened to the audio, but I don't have a single regret.
4.5! Listen...I can't relate to the people who didn't enjoy this. One, this book is written in a way that is supposed to keep you off kilter and uncomfortable. There are a lot of undercurrents in play here and so those uncomfortable feelings don't just come from one particular place. This put me into a similar mindset as When No One Was Watching towards the end of the story (which isn't a spoiler, but definitely a clue). I will say this, if you're not a Black reader and this book makes you feel some type of way, this may be a great time to do some soul searching and reflection on WHY you couldn't sit in that uncomfortable feeling and what caused them.
The focus of this story is Farrah, a young Black girl currently going through having her life being upended because of her parents financial troubles. She's been staying with her best friend Cherish, another young Black girl, though she was adopted by white parents. Farrah sees everything as a mental game. Nothing is every as it seems and everyone always has ulterior motives. Everyone except White Girl Spoiled, naïve Cherish. Farrah's determined to have a say in her future. Control. That's the key. She's in control of her life and everything around her and she won't accept anything less. Except, maybe Farrah isn't as in control as she'd like to think. And maybe, just maybe, someone knows how to play this game better than she does.
I've seen a few reviews that said that none of these characters were likable. That's absolutely true. I'm of the mindset though that I don't have to like the characters to like a book: another thing that makes me put this book in the same category of When No One Was Watching. Each character has their own flaws. None are better than they other, just different in the how and why. Farrah and Cherish are certainly at the center of this story, though maybe not for the reasons that you think.
Every new layer and element that was revealed only served to draw me in more until I was on the edge of my seat. Maybe I had such a great reaction to this because I listened to the audio, but I don't have a single regret.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Self harm, Vomit, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Blood