Reviews

Tyler Johnson Was Here by

orangejasmine's review against another edition

hopeful sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

tatish's review against another edition

3.0

It reminded of the Hate U Give with its 90s nostalgia but it defers in its angle... The way that Marvin waswritten is a breath of fresh air. A young black man with a bright futur who grieves, he cries, put words to his emotions instead of the hard a** routine they attribute to black men.
His change of heart towards the college of his dreams was well placed as well.

jocelyn_marie's review against another edition

3.0

3/5 ★’s

❥ overview
format:

edshara's review against another edition

1.0

After finishing this, I can honestly say, this book just felt like an attempt to capitalize on a popular trend. I went into this knowing it was being compared to THUG and Dear Martin, but hoping it would stand out since the synopsis seemed unique. In the end it did stand out, just not in a good way.

The characters were very generic and not at all unique. Quirky teens that like Tupac...how original. I didn’t connect to any of them. They read more like side characters. Also the adults in this book were lacking as well. Principal Dodson alone, was enough, to make me want to DNF.

The overall plot seemed like a good idea, but it wasn’t crafted well and had a lot of holes. I know the system is corrupt and their are cops literally getting away with murder, but the situation involving the accused officer in this book, left so much untouched, unsaid and unexplained. As much as I wanted to buy into it, it just didn’t seem believable.

Usually I’m not overly picky about profanity and crude remarks/jokes, so it may be my petty kicking in, but the usage of both in this book felt, at times, forced and unnecessary. I was really looking forward to this book and other than the beautiful cover, it was a total let down. It’s been a couple days since I finished this and I’m still mad. Read at your own risk.

joana_stormblessed's review against another edition

4.0

4.5

lucyprough's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.5

tiffanydf12's review against another edition

2.0

This just wasn’t it for me… I felt no connection to any of the characters and just ended up skimming through the lasts 100 pages. What exactly was the deal with the principal? The interactions with the police seemed very exaggerated too, like every single cop in the city was out to get Marvin… Also way too many plot holes.

heather_19's review against another edition

4.0

I wish the ending hadn't been left so open but otherwise a powerful book with a sadly all too often real story.

samabenamer's review against another edition

3.0

i really enjoyed this story. the language was very beautiful and raw and real. and it was very genuine. and it's just really horrible to see these events unfold and be able to connect it to events that have actually happened. but this book really serves a reminder for people, of the realities disenfranchised people have to go through everyday because of the color of their skin. this story really resonated with me, and it made me feel very empowered to do something lol. stay woke ppl

papertraildiary's review against another edition

4.0

Review to come soon!