Scan barcode
A review by onlyongracexm
Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Starfish was quite the emotional roller-coaster ride. Despite Kiko’s perpetual timidness (which is something that is constantly addressed and then also developed), she has that gut feeling of underlying ambition, the desire to want to say and do what she really feels as well as, which is something that I can really relate to.
As for the rest of the characters, I’m actually not super fond of Jaime, or of either of her brothers as well, but I believe the point of the book was not to create completely likable characters or else that wouldn’t be realistic. On that note, I do wish we also got to cover Kiko’s brothers more, but ultimately, this story solely belongs to Kiko.
On a final note, I want to address the way they handled Kiko’s harassment by her uncle. You can drown in 12 feet of water the same way you can drown in 7 feet. (Spoiler ahead!) Despite Kiko’s incident being objectively not as severe as someone who suffered a greater trauma, her feelings and anxieties are valid and treated as such by Jaime (and not by her shitty mother, which is another thing that exacerbates her personality). So matter how minor an incident may seem on the outside, whatever goes on with someone on the inside shouldn’t be demeaned because you only saw one side of the story.
Read this book. Kiko’s mom is shitty. Follow your dreams and stay strong.
As for the rest of the characters, I’m actually not super fond of Jaime, or of either of her brothers as well, but I believe the point of the book was not to create completely likable characters or else that wouldn’t be realistic. On that note, I do wish we also got to cover Kiko’s brothers more, but ultimately, this story solely belongs to Kiko.
On a final note, I want to address the way they handled Kiko’s harassment by her uncle. You can drown in 12 feet of water the same way you can drown in 7 feet. (Spoiler ahead!) Despite Kiko’s incident being objectively not as severe as someone who suffered a greater trauma, her feelings and anxieties are valid and treated as such by Jaime (and not by her shitty mother, which is another thing that exacerbates her personality). So matter how minor an incident may seem on the outside, whatever goes on with someone on the inside shouldn’t be demeaned because you only saw one side of the story.
Read this book. Kiko’s mom is shitty. Follow your dreams and stay strong.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Toxic relationship