Reviews

When You Look Like Us by Pamela N. Harris

notinjersey's review

5.0

When You Look Like Us is a touching story of a boy living in public housing in Newport News, VA, with his grandmother and sister. When his sister goes missing, he realizes that when you look like them, people don’t see you in the same way they would see white Americans. I loved this important book. It’s very timely and well worth reading.

greenvillemelissa's review

4.0

This is a good YA mystery. Jay and Nic are close siblings but have a troubled past. Nic goes missing and Jay tries to find out what happened to her. There are good twists and turns to keep readers engaged. I recommend this book to all high school readers. Well written.

karenelyse2's review

5.0

I won an ARC of "When You Look Like Us" and it was incredible!

If you like mysteries,
If you like multi-dimensional, flawed characters,
If you like Black stories,
If you like a little romance,
If you like good writing.
get a hold of this book!

punkgremlin's review

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

haileyannereads's review

4.0

I really liked the examination of the way people of color are treated by the media. It was a quick and interesting read that will definitely leave an impact.

heatherli25's review against another edition

emotional mysterious medium-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? Yes

4.0

sarahannkateri's review

3.0

3.5

I liked the mystery/suspense aspect, and the audiobook reader did a good job. It was really hard to like the main character because he made stupid decision after stupid decision, while also being awful to pretty much everyone, but I guess that can be seen as authentically "teen."

This reminded me of earlier teen fiction, like that of [a:Sharon Draper|18157274|Sharon Draper|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]: very low on profanity, cautionary about drugs/drinking, and the adult community helpers (teachers, counselors, pastors and cops) are mostly the good guys in the end.

The made-up profanity and drug slang (especially "bliss," which stood in for weed) really took me out of the story. I also thought the whole "bliss/marijuana" will 100% ruin your life and maybe even lead to ***MURDER!!*** thing was absurd, since it's legal in several states, including [later this year] the state the book is set in. The teens I work with would probably laugh at this reductive, Reefer Madness-y take.

Good for classroom discussions; younger teen readers who want gentler looks at dark issues like racism and drug abuse; and mystery/suspense fans. Readers who want a grittier/darker look at the systemic failures surrounding the investigation and reporting of missing Black girls may prefer [b:Monday's Not Coming|35068534|Monday's Not Coming|Tiffany D. Jackson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1507338175l/35068534._SY75_.jpg|56363989].

night_owl9's review

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

ljhind's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

breesnick's review

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-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

4.0