Scan barcode
audioandereadergrrly's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely beautiful cover and message! Great narration.
justincaysi's review
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
nicolemhewitt's review
5.0
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
I’d read that this book was a bit grittier than other books with similar storylines, so I was ready for that when I started reading it. I would agree with that assessment, but I don’t think that it necessarily made the MC less relatable. The story is told from the POV of Tyler’s twin brother, Marvin. Marvin realizes his brother has flaws and has gotten himself involved in some things he shouldn’t, but he also knows the person Tyler is—he knows him in a way no one else can. So, when Tyler is killed, Marvin has trouble reconciling people’s reactions—both the people who want to paint Tyler as a thug and people who want to use him as some sort of symbol of oppression. Marvin wants justice for his brother’s death. It’s personal to him, and it changes his whole outlook on life. While I thought that Marvin was a likable and relatable MC, I never really got emotional over the book like I expected to. Still, I flew through the book (which is a plus for me lately, since I feel like some of my reading has been plodding) and I was invested in the story. I enjoyed the romance aspect of the book as well—though the connection was made relatively quickly, I thought that was believable given the high emotional stakes. Sometimes tragedy can bring people together. I think this book is definitely a worthwhile read and I give it 4/5 stars.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
I’d read that this book was a bit grittier than other books with similar storylines, so I was ready for that when I started reading it. I would agree with that assessment, but I don’t think that it necessarily made the MC less relatable. The story is told from the POV of Tyler’s twin brother, Marvin. Marvin realizes his brother has flaws and has gotten himself involved in some things he shouldn’t, but he also knows the person Tyler is—he knows him in a way no one else can. So, when Tyler is killed, Marvin has trouble reconciling people’s reactions—both the people who want to paint Tyler as a thug and people who want to use him as some sort of symbol of oppression. Marvin wants justice for his brother’s death. It’s personal to him, and it changes his whole outlook on life. While I thought that Marvin was a likable and relatable MC, I never really got emotional over the book like I expected to. Still, I flew through the book (which is a plus for me lately, since I feel like some of my reading has been plodding) and I was invested in the story. I enjoyed the romance aspect of the book as well—though the connection was made relatively quickly, I thought that was believable given the high emotional stakes. Sometimes tragedy can bring people together. I think this book is definitely a worthwhile read and I give it 4/5 stars.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
sammerp219's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
4.75
klkminimini97's review
3.0
I really wanted to like this more, I do still believe that this is an important read especially with what's going on in the world. So I would say to still give it a try, my issues are mainly with the writing. The writing is not bad, it just wasn't for me, and I didn't think the romance was necessary for the story.
kayannmar's review
1.0
DNF'd this book within the first chapter, I couldn't get past the terrible writing. This book could be something that is easy to enjoy for a middle-school age or early high school aged person. I understand what the purpose of the book is. But I detest the use of pop-culture and popular items in books. I would rather read a book written by Donald Trump than read this.
The writing was severely lacking and if I bothered to go back and count the amount of commas used in the first page I'm sure it would be well into the 50's. The cover for the book is the main reason I picked it up, its gorgeous, and the synopsis was intriguing. I think the editing team and publisher really let this author down by not screening the work more thoroughly. I really don't know how the majority of the paragraphs can consist of two run-on sentences
I'm disappointed that this book wasn't any good. It may have more redeemable qualities but I won't be bothering to find out. Maybe the author can learn from this and pick a different publisher for their next book. (P.S. I'll never understand how this book has such a high rating - paid promotions?)
The writing was severely lacking and if I bothered to go back and count the amount of commas used in the first page I'm sure it would be well into the 50's. The cover for the book is the main reason I picked it up, its gorgeous, and the synopsis was intriguing. I think the editing team and publisher really let this author down by not screening the work more thoroughly. I really don't know how the majority of the paragraphs can consist of two run-on sentences
I'm disappointed that this book wasn't any good. It may have more redeemable qualities but I won't be bothering to find out. Maybe the author can learn from this and pick a different publisher for their next book. (P.S. I'll never understand how this book has such a high rating - paid promotions?)
vizira's review
this is literally just The Hate U Give but worse; it's fine to be inspired by another author's work, but your book should still be able to stand on it's own....
caffeineaddict980's review
4.0
'Hate is too ugly of a devil for some people to acknowledge, but the thing about hate is you can't throw it on someone else without getting a little bit on yourself.'
Marvin goes to a party with his twin Tyler and never expected a night of what should have been harmless fun to turn into a shooting, a police raid happening shortly after.
Straight after the party, Tyler goes missing. Marvin and his family go frantic looking for him, but soon a leaked online video gives them clarity.
Tyler has been shot and killed by a police officer.
This novel is raw and touches on many different scenes featuring police brutality against africian americans which is extremely disturbing to read about, but is important!
There are a few shining lights in this book that don't discriminate Marvin for the colour of his skin or his background. We find these in Ms. Tanner, who is Marvin's English teacher, who seems to be the most supportive within the book aside from Marvin's group of close friends.
Overall, this novel is an important one highlighting difficult topics of grief, discrimination and police brutality.
Marvin goes to a party with his twin Tyler and never expected a night of what should have been harmless fun to turn into a shooting, a police raid happening shortly after.
Straight after the party, Tyler goes missing. Marvin and his family go frantic looking for him, but soon a leaked online video gives them clarity.
Tyler has been shot and killed by a police officer.
This novel is raw and touches on many different scenes featuring police brutality against africian americans which is extremely disturbing to read about, but is important!
There are a few shining lights in this book that don't discriminate Marvin for the colour of his skin or his background. We find these in Ms. Tanner, who is Marvin's English teacher, who seems to be the most supportive within the book aside from Marvin's group of close friends.
Overall, this novel is an important one highlighting difficult topics of grief, discrimination and police brutality.