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bookedupandbusy's reviews
152 reviews
Rinsing Mukami's Soul by Njambi McGrath
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
3.0
Mukami is a young scholarship student at a prestigious boarding school. She has a clear path ahead of her, but falls pregnant. Facing disappointment from her family, this charged novel asks us to question why girls and women are often left to fight for justice from lonely places in societies that prefer them silenced.
The author did an amazing job of displaying the lack of knowledge some Kenyan girls have when it comes to contraceptive methods and pregnancy. However the focus of the story is mainly on the lack of education and support available to women seeking terminations.
The writing is quite lyrical, but it’s not heavy. It’s quite an easy and straight forward read.
Unfortunately, I felt the richness of Kenyan culture and traditions was not strong throughout the story. I didn’t feel transported to Eastern Africa and this was quite disappointing. There was some talk of home life, spiritual beliefs and superstitions but I wanted more, I wanted to learn something.
I don’t feel the protagonist was strong enough, Mukami lacked personality. There was so much potential in her character and I felt the author should have illustrated her growth through her challenges but this was absent.
Even though the story didn’t entirely resonate with me, please give it a read as there is so much potential in the story.
Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
As the son of a former gang legend, 17 year old Maverick lives life doing what he knows: dealing for the King Lords. With this money he can help his mum, who works two jobs while his dad's in prison.
I have avoided reading this book for years, I thought it would be a stereotypical read and rather predictable. After reading, I reminded myself never to judge a book again, I loved it! Even though it was predictable in places, the author took a different direction. Through all Maverick’s challenges, we are presented with hope, his potential and a light at the end of every tunnel to his problems.
The exploration of being a single black father stood out for me the most. I haven’t read any stories portraying men raising a newborn. Newborns present different challenges to toddlers and older children and Maverick’s journey was insightful. He had the exact same challenges as most mothers and with the support of his mother (my favourite character) he was able to learn and mature into a responsible adult.
I love how the author displayed peer pressure amongst young men. I felt the book was heavily based on the choices one makes. It was also beautiful to see that as a young black man, the older characters and his girlfriend became great mentors and inspirations to Maverick. They were able to show him the beauty of life besides dealing drugs.
Maverick’s character is written as a person you want to root for. He had my whole heart, I wanted him to win in every way possible.
I did struggle with the dialogue at first. It’s heavy on American 90s slang, however once I got into it, it easily flowed and was very funny in parts. Its narratives are authentic and reflective of where the characters have been raised.
I hear that this is the prequel to ‘The Hate U Give’ and this book has one or two spoilers for that book, but I will still read it.
Daughters Who Walk This Path by Yejide Kilanko
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
This is the story of Morayo, a Nigerian girl, whose life is cruelly altered when she is abused by a relative. The story spans three decades from Morayo's blissful, Yoruba childhood in the 1970s, through her traumatic adolescence, into her troubled twenties and thirties
The story looks at surviving as a child amongst many family secrets and how abuse can lead to the mental and physical breakdown of the victim.
It is a character driven story with no plot and the story explores how social issues are dealt with in Nigeria.
I loved the use of Nigerian folk stories to teach life lessons. Morayo is a well written character. She is vulnerable yet intelligent and she gained a wealth of knowledge from her close relative, Morenike. Morenike became a mentor to Morayo, however Morenike becomes involved in political advocacy and I did not enjoy this part of the novel. I understand the author was trying to show us how politics are run in the country but I felt this had no benefit or relation to the story.
The second half of the novel was strong. I have read many coming of age stories but I did not expect this part to go in the direction in which it did. It explored regaining control, ownership and consent in a very interesting way.
4.5 ⭐️ stars for me, I would have given it 5 ⭐️ but I did not enjoy the political chapters.
The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Alternating chapters between two women. Jasmine, born and raised in China had an arranged marriage at 14 years old and was told by her husband, Wen, that their child had died at birth, he had actually arranged for the child to be adopted. Jasmine flees abroad to find her child.
In contrast, we also follow Rebecca, a wealthy white woman with a great job in publishing, who is having fertility issues with her husband Brandon.
I can’t go into too much detail about this story as this would be a major spoiler. I can’t even discuss the meaning of the title - find out yourself! But…
I really enjoyed my reading experience with this book. Recently, I have become a pro at solving mysteries, but this book had me. I didn’t see it coming. The plot is well thought out and cleverly written. The story really makes you question the definition of ‘Mother’ in both love and practice. I thoroughly enjoyed Jasmine’s chapters. The author wrote a character you want to root for. Rebecca’s chapters were engaging especially because she works in publishing and seeing the lengths agents go to in order to poach authors is quite insightful.
However, I will say that white privilege, transracial adoption and the immigrant experience is written in many different forms by the author and I loved how the author explored how China’s one child policy was tackled, from gangsters, to traffickers, foreigners and to those with infertility challenges.
There was one area I would have liked more information about; the illegal activities ongoing in the book. I understand authors can’t fully delve into everything but I was intrigued by this particular area and did question why and how certain things happened.
Read this one!
Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier by Oprah Winfrey
challenging
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
What makes you happy. What do you do to ensure you are investing in your self-care?
On an aeroplane they tell you to fit your own mask before helping others and this is the goal of this book, Brooks & Winfrey share daily and weekly tasks to remind you to put you first to increase your happiness.
I have always believed that happiness is an inside job and this was reaffirmed in this book.
I particularly enjoyed and noted the following:
⭐️ There is a chapter on the difference between empathy and sympathy - the guidance in this chapter really helps with managing tough situations in life whilst protecting yourself.
⭐️ Religion - As a Christian myself I appreciated the chapter on gratitude through prayer and feeling blessed.
⭐️ Friendships - an eye opening chapter on what is a true friend and the different categories of friendships in life from work colleagues, to friends for favours and lifetime friends.
The book is backed up by science but I liked that it wasnt heavy on the statistics. It’s conversational. A great read to the start my year that will encourage me to protect myself, turn away from negativity and invest in myself.
Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This novel is phenomenal. I was in awe of the storyline and completely obsessed. When I was away from the book, I was constantly thinking about this story.
The story is set in two time periods; present day, as we see Bern, who is a university professor, contacted by the family of one of his favourite composers, Frederic Delaney, to help recover some music that was not completed during Delaney’s lifetime. We are then taken back to 1920s where we meet Delaney and discover how his music was written… with the help of a black woman named Josephine 🙄
There are so many themes covered in this book and they are beautifully executed. We see the differences between the status and race of black and white people within the music industry, but three things stood out to me the most:
- The manipulation of a vulnerable black woman.
- The appropriation of black music.
- The care taken to write a neurodivergent character.
Josephine is 30 years old, she is neurodivergent; although she required routine and guidance, she was smart and talented when it came to the composition of music. Unfortunately, she placed her trust in the hands of the wrong person. I have never seen a character such as this written with such care and attention to detail. She doesn’t have much dialogue but I was still able to engage deeply with her character and empathise with her. I could have read a full novel on Josephine’s life alone.
I had tears at the end of this story, it will stay with me for a while. This is the second title I have read from this author (the first being The Violin Conspiracy) the author levelled up with this one.
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
4.0
A very good read. I found myself always on Queenie's side, wanting her to excel in her career and find true love. Whenever she failed I felt her emotion. I feel that this story is very true to life. I know many women Queenie's age going through the same situations as Queenie. This book is definitely worth the read. I would have given it 5 stars but I felt the ending could have been a bit more engaging