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ameliabiblio's review
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I struggled with what to rate this and even how to feel about it. I have to admit that I came in with preexisting biases based on what I was told about this book and I wanted the writing to prove me wrong, but I have to admit that it didn’t. Nothing about this book drew me in. It felt almost completely unoriginal and there wasn’t a single character that was properly fleshed out, including our main character, Jasmyn.
Let’s start with Jasmyn. In a story like this, I think you need a main character you can root for. And while Jasmyn didn’t deserve the fate she got (more on that later) I can’t honestly say I was rooting for her. She was extremely judgmental of other Black people and had some very harmful views of what you have to do to be a “good” Black person. Her husband and other characters push back against these views, but it feels like these critiques are discounted by the ending. In a different story, having Jasmyn as a MC who learns that her rigid beliefs shouldn’t be so rigid would work, but unfortunately, that’s not what happened here and it’s not something that could have worked anyway.
As for the ending… Spoilers ahead.The ending was predictable from basically the very beginning when Jasmyn says that the neighbor who greets her looks white in the sunlight for a second. I could have done without that little bit of foreshadowing, especially so early on. I also think it’s such a disparaging and hopeless premise to work with. While it might be based in reality, to take the leap and write a whole book about Black people who just want to be white? It’s extremely disheartening and I’m not even sure what the end message is supposed to be. Yoon writes that she wants people to take away some hope from this story, but I’m not sure how you’re supposed to do that. It could have possibly worked better if any of the antagonists were more fleshed out, but we honestly don’t even have a great characterization of Jasmyn’s husband, King. Jasmyn tells us who she thinks he is, but clearly her perspective is skewed and unreliable. Having a better understanding of what drove him to this point could help soften the ending in ways that it needs.
Also, a small, more stylistic thing. The epilogue bothered me so much because of the repetition of “The white woman who was formerly Jasmyn Williams” or whatever the phrase exactly was. It was complete overkill to say that so many times in such a short amount of text.
I also found it weird that Tricia echoed the views of the Liberty people at the end. Her whole thing about wondering what they would be without all their trauma? It made it seem like this is something that all Black people secretly want, if only they could afford it. Again, it was just a disheartening detail to include that I felt didn’t particularly add to the story overall.
I honestly just wish this story could have been told from a different perspective. I think a different main character could have lent more depth and understanding to the story as a whole and made the ending hit a little harder.
Let’s start with Jasmyn. In a story like this, I think you need a main character you can root for. And while Jasmyn didn’t deserve the fate she got (more on that later) I can’t honestly say I was rooting for her. She was extremely judgmental of other Black people and had some very harmful views of what you have to do to be a “good” Black person. Her husband and other characters push back against these views, but it feels like these critiques are discounted by the ending. In a different story, having Jasmyn as a MC who learns that her rigid beliefs shouldn’t be so rigid would work, but unfortunately, that’s not what happened here and it’s not something that could have worked anyway.
As for the ending… Spoilers ahead.
Also, a small, more stylistic thing. The epilogue bothered me so much because of the repetition of “The white woman who was formerly Jasmyn Williams” or whatever the phrase exactly was. It was complete overkill to say that so many times in such a short amount of text.
I also found it weird that Tricia echoed the views of the Liberty people at the end. Her whole thing about wondering what they would be without all their trauma? It made it seem like this is something that all Black people secretly want, if only they could afford it. Again, it was just a disheartening detail to include that I felt didn’t particularly add to the story overall.
I honestly just wish this story could have been told from a different perspective. I think a different main character could have lent more depth and understanding to the story as a whole and made the ending hit a little harder.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Police brutality
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I think this one could have stayed in the drafts or made for a short story, albeit with a different ending?
I struggle with anyone gatekeeping activism, and that’s what the main character -Jasmyn- of this book does. However, that does not mean I co-sign her deserving the ending.
I fully recognize this is meant to be darker satire, but I do think this reads as trying to teach white people or even non-Black people. I agree with the sentiments, I just struggle with the execution of this particular novel.
I struggle with anyone gatekeeping activism, and that’s what the main character -Jasmyn- of this book does. However, that does not mean I co-sign her deserving the ending.
I fully recognize this is meant to be darker satire, but I do think this reads as trying to teach white people or even non-Black people. I agree with the sentiments, I just struggle with the execution of this particular novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Racism, Police brutality, Confinement, and Toxic relationship
windywife's review
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
As a white woman, I found the perspective of a black woman fighting racial inequalities informative. She was trying, against the odds, to hold on to her past and fight for those don’t always have equal treatment due to skin color. On top of that, this story felt like a retelling of “Stepford Wives” with the all too perfect community.
Without giving anything away, I will have to say I was surprised and frustrated with the ending. I was also disappointed that one of the side couples was homosexual. Both of those things bring my rating down a star.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Police brutality, Racism, Death, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Sexual content
bookedwithliz's review
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Police brutality
the_rainydayreader's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
I had very high expectations for this after the blurb said that this is a "thrilling [story] with insightful social commentary", and compared this title to The Stepford Wives, Rosemary's Baby, and Get Out. These comparisons provide a lot to live up to, as they are classics of the speculative fiction genre. Speculative fiction books with social commentary are big right now and I was ready for this to be a standout, especially considering Nicola Yoon's successful YA books that deal with racial prejudice.
First off, I want to clarify that I am a white woman. This book is not written to reflect my experiences and I am not supposed to be able to relate to the Black main character, although I do make an effort to educate myself on racism/antiracism by reading POC authors. So take what you will from my opinion but read other reviews but Black readers, too.
I had yucky feelings about this main character right from the beginning. The MC Jasmyn immediately makes it clear that she has strong opinions on what it means to be an "enlightened" or "authentic" Black person. Yes, these words are literally used in this context in the book-
"Jasmyn studies the woman's hairline. It's funny how much hair can tell you about the kind of person you're dealing with. To Jasmyn's mind, using creamy crack is a sure sign of being an unenlightened Black woman."
"Jasmyn studies Keisha. One of the necessary skills of her job is the ability to spot a liar. This woman doesn't seem like one. With her big Afro, her loud clothes, and her louder laugh, she seems a damn sight more authentic than Catherine Vail did."
At this point I thought that this book was supposed to be satirical and/or Jasmyn is meant to be an unlikable MC. But reading on, it also seemed like the reader is meant to sympathize with Jasmyn, a feeling that didn't support my hypothesis. One minute we see her being a loving wife and mother, and caring about the Black community even more than her own health (another point I take issue with), and the next minute she's judging other Black people for their clothing, hair, and the way that they interact with the Black community; in other words, gatekeeping. Here's a passage that explains what Jasmyn thinks about a woman who feels that watching videos of police brutality are too much for her-
"Of course Jasmyn has met her type before. She's one of *those* Black people, too delicate to face up to the world we live in. The kind that looks away and pretends that if she can't see the world's violence against Black people, it isn't happpening. Jasmyn has never understood, or agreed with, that way of being. She always clicks the headlines. She always watches the videos. Why should she feel safe and comfortable when yet another Black man is dead? No. It isn't OK to look away. She always watches. Bears witness."
The police brutality case going on in the background of this book takes up much of the MC's thoughts and colors the tone of the entire book. If I was reading this book without any context of who Black people are and their culture, I wouldn't have any choice but to assume that Black culture doesn't include anything but trauma, victimhood (and some various types of food) because that is all that Yoon describes in this book. There are no instances of Black joy. Any interaction that Jasmyn has ends up with her talking about racism and police brutality. And to be clear, police brutality and racism are EXTREMELY problematic and relevant issues to Black people in real life, but there is more to Black culture than that, and Yoon doesn't make that clear in this book.
I also have to mention the hypocrisy of the MC and her strange sense of social justice, which eclipses her own sense of self. She's offended by an invitation to the Wellness Center because a spa visit would take away from her time serving the Black community. I reacted strongly to this because this is such a toxic mindset for an activist. Caring for yourself is part of caring for the community. This made Jasmyn was unlikable in a way that didn't make sense in context with the rest of the story.
After all this, I don't understand what we are supposed to feel about the MC, or what message the author is trying to send with this book. Is she saying that Black culture is being whitewashed? And possibly something about not giving up? It's not very clear.
The writing style also feels very surface level and Young Adult. This book makes me think that Yoon should stick to the YA genre.
I had very high expectations for this after the blurb said that this is a "thrilling [story] with insightful social commentary", and compared this title to The Stepford Wives, Rosemary's Baby, and Get Out. These comparisons provide a lot to live up to, as they are classics of the speculative fiction genre. Speculative fiction books with social commentary are big right now and I was ready for this to be a standout, especially considering Nicola Yoon's successful YA books that deal with racial prejudice.
First off, I want to clarify that I am a white woman. This book is not written to reflect my experiences and I am not supposed to be able to relate to the Black main character, although I do make an effort to educate myself on racism/antiracism by reading POC authors. So take what you will from my opinion but read other reviews but Black readers, too.
I had yucky feelings about this main character right from the beginning. The MC Jasmyn immediately makes it clear that she has strong opinions on what it means to be an "enlightened" or "authentic" Black person. Yes, these words are literally used in this context in the book-
"Jasmyn studies the woman's hairline. It's funny how much hair can tell you about the kind of person you're dealing with. To Jasmyn's mind, using creamy crack is a sure sign of being an unenlightened Black woman."
"Jasmyn studies Keisha. One of the necessary skills of her job is the ability to spot a liar. This woman doesn't seem like one. With her big Afro, her loud clothes, and her louder laugh, she seems a damn sight more authentic than Catherine Vail did."
At this point I thought that this book was supposed to be satirical and/or Jasmyn is meant to be an unlikable MC. But reading on, it also seemed like the reader is meant to sympathize with Jasmyn, a feeling that didn't support my hypothesis. One minute we see her being a loving wife and mother, and caring about the Black community even more than her own health (another point I take issue with), and the next minute she's judging other Black people for their clothing, hair, and the way that they interact with the Black community; in other words, gatekeeping. Here's a passage that explains what Jasmyn thinks about a woman who feels that watching videos of police brutality are too much for her-
"Of course Jasmyn has met her type before. She's one of *those* Black people, too delicate to face up to the world we live in. The kind that looks away and pretends that if she can't see the world's violence against Black people, it isn't happpening. Jasmyn has never understood, or agreed with, that way of being. She always clicks the headlines. She always watches the videos. Why should she feel safe and comfortable when yet another Black man is dead? No. It isn't OK to look away. She always watches. Bears witness."
The police brutality case going on in the background of this book takes up much of the MC's thoughts and colors the tone of the entire book. If I was reading this book without any context of who Black people are and their culture, I wouldn't have any choice but to assume that Black culture doesn't include anything but trauma, victimhood (and some various types of food) because that is all that Yoon describes in this book. There are no instances of Black joy. Any interaction that Jasmyn has ends up with her talking about racism and police brutality. And to be clear, police brutality and racism are EXTREMELY problematic and relevant issues to Black people in real life, but there is more to Black culture than that, and Yoon doesn't make that clear in this book.
I also have to mention the hypocrisy of the MC and her strange sense of social justice, which eclipses her own sense of self. She's offended by an invitation to the Wellness Center because a spa visit would take away from her time serving the Black community. I reacted strongly to this because this is such a toxic mindset for an activist. Caring for yourself is part of caring for the community. This made Jasmyn was unlikable in a way that didn't make sense in context with the rest of the story.
After all this, I don't understand what we are supposed to feel about the MC, or what message the author is trying to send with this book. Is she saying that Black culture is being whitewashed? And possibly something about not giving up? It's not very clear.
The writing style also feels very surface level and Young Adult. This book makes me think that Yoon should stick to the YA genre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Gun violence, Xenophobia, Racism, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Pregnancy and Medical trauma
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