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toobusyreadin's reviews
137 reviews
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The Orchard by David Hopen
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
3.0
3.5/5 stars.
Bennett's prose in The Vanishing Half feels extremely timely for the world we're currently living in, focusing on various themes of identity, including race and gender, as well as domestic violence, and family relationships.
The book starts with a look into identical twins Desiree and Stella's childhood, building out their relationship, experiences, and traumas as black girls growing up in a small Louisiana town that has tried to lighten the skin of its people through each generation. It quickly transitions into their teenage years, where the girls decide to runaway to New Orleans and then continues to pivot into their adult lives, where Stella has abandoned Desiree, leaving her for a white man and a life passing as a white woman.
Desiree goes on to live in Washington D.C., where she meets and marries a abusive black lawyer with whom she has a dark skinned daughter, Jude; while Stella goes on to marry her white boss and also has a daughter, Kennedy, who is so light, she never knows she's black. Here, the story begins to pivot to their daughters' life, with more of a focus on Jude's.
While I enjoyed Bennett's writing, I lost interest in the all the back and forth between Desiree, Stella, Jude and Kennedy. To me, the story felt like it was most focused on Jude, then Desiree, and Stella and Kennedy were just supporting characters. I was expecting each of the women to have a character arc, which to some extent, they did, but none truly left me feeling satisfied. For me, there was a lot of moments that could have been much more powerful but were quickly glossed over, like the domestic abuse Desiree faced, Stella's desire to be white, and Jude's boyfriend, Reece's, transgender identity. At times, it felt too predictable, like when Jude goes to college in the same city that Stella and her family live, and she happens to get a job that allows their paths to cross. The combination of these things left me wanting much more than the book was able to provide.
While I would say the ending was unpredictable, I don't mean it in the way that will leave you mind blown, but rather very disappointed. In my opinion, I don't feel like any of the characters, outside of Jude and Reece, came full circle or met any kind of resolution. For me, this started as a story of two girls fighting to be more than what they were born into, and unfortunately fell flat. Luckily, the writing flows so well, it made this a quick and easy read.
Bennett's prose in The Vanishing Half feels extremely timely for the world we're currently living in, focusing on various themes of identity, including race and gender, as well as domestic violence, and family relationships.
The book starts with a look into identical twins Desiree and Stella's childhood, building out their relationship, experiences, and traumas as black girls growing up in a small Louisiana town that has tried to lighten the skin of its people through each generation. It quickly transitions into their teenage years, where the girls decide to runaway to New Orleans and then continues to pivot into their adult lives, where Stella has abandoned Desiree, leaving her for a white man and a life passing as a white woman.
Desiree goes on to live in Washington D.C., where she meets and marries a abusive black lawyer with whom she has a dark skinned daughter, Jude; while Stella goes on to marry her white boss and also has a daughter, Kennedy, who is so light, she never knows she's black. Here, the story begins to pivot to their daughters' life, with more of a focus on Jude's.
While I enjoyed Bennett's writing, I lost interest in the all the back and forth between Desiree, Stella, Jude and Kennedy. To me, the story felt like it was most focused on Jude, then Desiree, and Stella and Kennedy were just supporting characters. I was expecting each of the women to have a character arc, which to some extent, they did, but none truly left me feeling satisfied. For me, there was a lot of moments that could have been much more powerful but were quickly glossed over, like the domestic abuse Desiree faced, Stella's desire to be white, and Jude's boyfriend, Reece's, transgender identity. At times, it felt too predictable, like when Jude goes to college in the same city that Stella and her family live, and she happens to get a job that allows their paths to cross. The combination of these things left me wanting much more than the book was able to provide.
While I would say the ending was unpredictable, I don't mean it in the way that will leave you mind blown, but rather very disappointed. In my opinion, I don't feel like any of the characters, outside of Jude and Reece, came full circle or met any kind of resolution. For me, this started as a story of two girls fighting to be more than what they were born into, and unfortunately fell flat. Luckily, the writing flows so well, it made this a quick and easy read.
Luster by Raven Leilani
1.0
If I could give this book zero stars, I would. I’ve never read something so short, yet dull. I’m still not even sure what the story was about. Every time I thought there would be a pivotal moment, I was let down. The characters are so mundane, and maybe that’s the point? I only read through it so quickly because I wanted it to be over.