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A review by sharese_reads
When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I really appreciate the concept of this book as well as the historically accurate context. I googled so much while reading it and learned a lot about the racist practices in Brooklyn. Did you know that Irish people actually HUNTED black people during the civil war draft because they were upset that they were being drafted and blamed... black people?! That is just one of the many interesting true historical facts I learned reading this book.
The execution outside of the research was lacking. The two major points that didn’t work for me were: the white guy at the center of the story and the ending.
There was a definite sense that white dude was into the fight because he was sexually attracted to the black woman protagonist - this was never addressed. Even though the protagonist gave him a “hard time” about racism, mostly his ignorance was excused because he had grown up poor and was attractive and there was a mutual sexual attraction.
<spoilers>The ending was rushed and just basically a shoot em up fast paced ending with no real resolve or hope. There was such a great build and concept that I thought it would go somewhere higher. But for me it just- didn’t.
I absolutely recommend reading it for the historical context alone. If Alyssa Cole’s other books are this well researched I will definitely be checking out her romance novels.
The execution outside of the research was lacking. The two major points that didn’t work for me were: the white guy at the center of the story and the ending.
There was a definite sense that white dude was into the fight because he was sexually attracted to the black woman protagonist - this was never addressed. Even though the protagonist gave him a “hard time” about racism, mostly his ignorance was excused because he had grown up poor and was attractive and there was a mutual sexual attraction.
<spoilers>The ending was rushed and just basically a shoot em up fast paced ending with no real resolve or hope. There was such a great build and concept that I thought it would go somewhere higher. But for me it just- didn’t.
I absolutely recommend reading it for the historical context alone. If Alyssa Cole’s other books are this well researched I will definitely be checking out her romance novels.