Scan barcode
juanitamfm's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book was so hard to finish. It’s like the author had a whole bunch of good ideas about issues in America and tried to fit them all into the story and it fell flat. The references felt token and didn’t add to the story, just added to the pages. The main premise of her marriage going south because she told her husband she had a kid felt forced because nowhere in any of Xavier’s character did it seem like he’d react that intensely. Also she benefitted from not having a kid tying her down for 10 years and then decided to just ruin Corey and the Cunningham’s lives because all of a sudden she had always regretted her decision…it just didn’t make sense. The main character’s dialogue was cringy and her playing hand clapping games with Natasha seemed so weird. She way people talk seemed contrived. The relationships were all just weird. Midnight just met her and didn’t know if he liked her like a mom or a girlfriend? It just wasn’t good.
threegoodrats's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Pretty solid. My one real criticism is that Ruth lacked a personality. I know she is dealing with this big issue, and I know that she is an engineer, but I don't know what she does for fun, if she has a sense of humor, what she likes to eat, etc. She wasn't rounded out well. Other characters came across more fully-formed, maybe because I wasn't privy to their thoughts and feelings so I didn't need as much. The one exception was Midnight, whose thoughts and feelings the read *is* privy to, and he felt pretty real.
I loved that this is set in a gritty small town where many relied on a now-closed factory for their livelihoods, and that Ruth's goal as a kid was to get out of this town so she wouldn't end up like everyone else who lived there, struggling to get through their hardscrabble lives. It reminded me of my hometown and how intent I was to leave it.
I loved that this is set in a gritty small town where many relied on a now-closed factory for their livelihoods, and that Ruth's goal as a kid was to get out of this town so she wouldn't end up like everyone else who lived there, struggling to get through their hardscrabble lives. It reminded me of my hometown and how intent I was to leave it.
prettypious's review against another edition
4.0
I was between a 3 and 4 on this so maybe it’s a 3.5. I liked the storytelling aspect of it and the desire to intentionally document aspects of Black life as a part of the realistic fiction genre, i.e., issues with racism in towns and schools, police bias and violence, the OG Obama election period, segregation, integration, incarceration, small town factory closings/job losses, etc. The author’s writing style kept my attention, probably because of the familiarity of the writing style. It wasn’t exceptional just like average Black realistic fiction genre style, almost like there’s a template. I didn’t need to dig down and play close attention to follow along which was good because I had other stuff to do.
The main character was believable and realistic, though she was selfish, self righteous, judgmental, self absorbed, lacked empathy, entitled, oblivious, and honestly a grade a B&$%H. I figured out the twist/mystery pretty early because it justified the inclusion of the second character perspective in the story. I liked the character and liked reading his portions but they were 1000% inconsequential to the story and I think it would have been a stronger piece without it, though I do think she wrote his character honestly and realistically. I think his story wasn’t significant enough to have him be a major POV character, and Johnson would have done better to just write it from a single omniscient narrator POV.
Anyways, I’m not annoyed I spent time reading it, but wouldn’t recommend as a must read but would suggest giving it a try or adding it to your “someday I will get to this book” list.
The main character was believable and realistic, though she was selfish, self righteous, judgmental, self absorbed, lacked empathy, entitled, oblivious, and honestly a grade a B&$%H. I figured out the twist/mystery pretty early because it justified the inclusion of the second character perspective in the story. I liked the character and liked reading his portions but they were 1000% inconsequential to the story and I think it would have been a stronger piece without it, though I do think she wrote his character honestly and realistically. I think his story wasn’t significant enough to have him be a major POV character, and Johnson would have done better to just write it from a single omniscient narrator POV.
Anyways, I’m not annoyed I spent time reading it, but wouldn’t recommend as a must read but would suggest giving it a try or adding it to your “someday I will get to this book” list.
eamcmahon3's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. It's a beautiful story of privilege, love, and what it means to be a mother. Highly recommend
nordstina's review
medium-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
I am not going to spend a lot of time on this review, because I actively disliked this book through most of it, and in many ways, wish I just did not finish it. The overarching plot is Ruth, a woman living in Chicago with her husband at the time of excitement of Obama's first election, has a secret she has not told him. As he does not understand her hesitancy to have a child with him, she divulges she had a child as a teenager that was given up for adoption. Somehow this disclosure to her husband (who really is not fleshed out as a character), leads her to immediately go back to her small hometown to find out what happened to the son she gave birth to. Ruth has a one track mind, and is incredibly selfish towards others, and I did not understand the impulse to all of a sudden NEED to know. She uses others, and does not take their feelings into consideration. There are subplots that are unnecessary. It's unclear why she befriends a young boy, who feels an instant connection to her (WHY?). I just was so frustrated with her as a character, I could not get into this one. Would not recommend.
nidzi_c's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Police brutality, Grief, Racism, and Pregnancy
jacbom17's review against another edition
4.0
Loved! I was worried at first it was going to be boring because the conflict wasn't that dramatic but it definitely picked up pretty quickly. I really enjoyed the family history from the grandmas pov. It made me do more research abt stuff i feel way too old to be just learning!
bookph1le's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
There is so much packed into this book that I think it will take me a long time to digest it. Yet as packed as it is, I don't think it was overstuffed, and the issues it presents feel like an organic part of the narrative.
I think what struck me the most about this book was the contrast between Corey and Midnight, and how Midnight just did not understand the implications of his actions. As a reader, his white privilege was so clear to me, but he definitely did not recognize it. It really drove home for me how much work white Americans need to do to better understand where POC are coming from, and how different their life experiences are from our own because of race. It was very chilling to me to see how Midnight's ignorance of Corey's reality often placed his friend in real peril. It drives home how virulent racism is, of course, bad, but ignorance isn't much better.
The only thing I didn't like as much about the book was the way Xavier reacted to Ruth's secret. I felt like he was judging her without trying to understand where she was coming from, and I would have liked to see this addressed more.
There is so much packed into this book that I think it will take me a long time to digest it. Yet as packed as it is, I don't think it was overstuffed, and the issues it presents feel like an organic part of the narrative.
I think what struck me the most about this book was the contrast between Corey and Midnight, and how Midnight just did not understand the implications of his actions. As a reader, his white privilege was so clear to me, but he definitely did not recognize it. It really drove home for me how much work white Americans need to do to better understand where POC are coming from, and how different their life experiences are from our own because of race. It was very chilling to me to see how Midnight's ignorance of Corey's reality often placed his friend in real peril. It drives home how virulent racism is, of course, bad, but ignorance isn't much better.
The only thing I didn't like as much about the book was the way Xavier reacted to Ruth's secret. I felt like he was judging her without trying to understand where she was coming from, and I would have liked to see this addressed more.
dwkiley's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
whatxesaid's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.25