bookedupandbusy's reviews
152 reviews

The House of Broken Bricks by Fiona Williams

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Tess is a black Londoner and the daughter of a Jamaican immigrant who is married to Richard, a white farmer. She has moved to the countryside with Richard to raise her family. They have twin sons, Sonny, who is brown like his mother and Max, who is white like his father. Their household is crumbling and the story is told from all four points of view. 

This is a story of identity, belonging, race, grief and family dynamics. It explores the microagressions one may face when settling into a new, particularly English rural countryside environment. The twins being different in skin tone, are conversation starters for colourism. The prose is also filled with nature; not a topic I usually gravitate towards, but it was still readable and insightful. 

The story felt such a mystery. Everyone in the home is broken and it made me want to keep reading to find out why. Tess is a well written character, she seemed troubled and I was never sure if she actually liked her husband. She struggled in the countryside but I loved that she always found comfort in going back to London to see her mother and siblings and stocked up on cultural food. The narratives are infused with Caribbean food. I found these chapters very relatable.

There is a major plot twist that comes quite early in the book. If you spot it, it will change the whole dynamic of the book and you will have a great reading experience. Equally, if you don’t spot it, when it is later revealed, you will witness the mastery of the author’s writing. It made me want to go back and reread the first part of the story again. This is clever and creative writing at its finest. 

The story felt haunting at times and Tess and Richard felt very detached from one another, but I couldn’t put my finger on it (it’s later revealed). I really appreciated Sonny & Max’s chapters it was a great insight into how they viewed their parent’s marriage.

Absolutely loved this. As a person who has read many British/Caribbean books, this was truly refreshing.

That Peckham Boy by Kenny Imafidon

emotional hopeful informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.0

This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan

3.5

Jaded by Ela Lee

emotional sad fast-paced

4.0

Jade has become everything she ever wanted to be, a successful lawyer, dutiful daughter, beloved girlfriend and loyal friend. Until one night after a work event she suffers an unspeakable attack.

The story is of a very sensitive nature however, the author writes in a way that it’s not overwhelming, yet the importance of the story is held throughout. I loved that Ela Lee did not try to cram in too many themes and the focus of the book is purely based on consent, the support one seeks after an attack and belonging/identity. 

I personally have a child of dual heritage so I am all for books which explore children of mixed heritage parents. I loved learning about Korean and Turkish culture and it was impressive to see how Jade and her parents navigated both these cultures in their home. 

I also work in a law firm so the narratives on work life in the legal corporate world were super relatable and spot on!

I was very intrigued by Jade’s boyfriend, Kit. Without spoiling anything, his privileges and outlook on the world were interesting 🚩 as a secondary character, he was written very well and I felt more engrossed by his personality. Although the story made me frustrated with men.

Brother, I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat

emotional hopeful informative sad tense medium-paced

4.5

Set between Haiti and America, this is the true story of Edwidge Danticat and her family's struggles with immigration and the heartbreaking circumstances that lead to her uncle's death and her father's declining health. 

Edwidge takes us on a journey from her childhood in Haiti, watching her parents leave for America whilst both her and her brother stayed with their uncle, wondering if they would see their parents again, to marriage, motherhood and her journey on grief. The writing is flawless and the father-daughter theme is prevalent. 

This is an Autobiography but it reads like a fictional story.  It’s a deeply moving story based on love and health and it really made me appreciate the privileges of great healthcare system. 

This is the third Haitian book I’ve read in the last year, but it’s this book that educated me on how Haiti is governed and the gangs and political unrest ruling the country. An eye opener!!!

Edwidge’s family grew up in the church and her father and uncle were rooted in faith throughout their illnesses. Her uncle was a pastor and in late 2004, there are some distressing scenes involving their church and the way they navigated this was miraculous!

This book is outstanding and up there with my top 5 Memoirs/Autobiographies. The title says it all, it’s very sad and distressing but also memorable and poignant.

This Bitter Earth by Bernice L. McFadden
Did not finish book. Stopped at 58%.

Way too many characters!

The Lost Love Songs of Boysie Singh by Ingrid Persaud

dark emotional funny informative mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This is a fictional story inspired by the true life of Boysie Singh. Boysiecaused terror in Trinidad during the 1940s/1950s and was a big time criminal and gangster. He loved his women and the story is told from the viewpoint of his 4 lovers:

🙍🏾‍♀️Mana Lala - She will do anything to be the last one standing with Boysie and his son.

🙍🏿‍♀️Popo - A prostitute who is very smart, until she isn’t!

🙍🏽‍♀️Doris - Known as the red light skin Catholic woman who Boysie literally chases down. 

🙍🏾‍♀️Rosie - she has known Boysie from childhood and is involved in Boysie’s businesses. 

Of all the women, I was most interested in Mana Lala’s chapters, she was obsessed with Boysie and carries out some questionable acts. I was intrigued by both hers and Boysie’s mental health throughout, I know love can make you so crazy things but… 🤦🏾‍♀️

I enjoyed this book. It was entertaining and the portrayal of women chasing a man who is no good for them was worrying. Boysie had a hold on these women. The story did send me down the Google rabbit hole, researching Boysie’s life. He did not treat women well and his crimes were horrendous.

Religion and spirituality is a heavy theme. I learnt a lot about Hinduism and the spiritual methods some would seek to control their lives. At first, I did struggle with the writing. The whole story is written in a Trini dialect - well done to the author for keeping this story authentic 👏🏾. I had to research meanings of words, but once I knew what they meant, it became easier to read. 

Apart from there being no ‘’quotation marks’’ on the dialogue (I hate this in books!), the first half being stronger than the second half and the story being rather too long, I enjoyed buddy reading this with

Eva's Man by Gayl Jones

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

*** This book won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, the language is highly vulgar and crude. But for me, I had a fantastic reading journey and consider this book to be a literary masterpiece. I will NOT forget this story. 

A short book (178 pages) that weighed so heavy on me, I hated reading about a black woman being taken advantage of throughout her life!

Eva is a black woman sitting on a psychiatric ward for the murder and mutilation of her lover and they want to know why she did it. When I learnt of her past, my heart felt heavy for Eva 🥲

Written in 1976, the story explores a black woman’s sexual victimisation from childhood to adulthood. We go back into Eva’s past where her memories show us how the men in her life have emotionally and sexually contributed to her becoming a troubled woman and why she has ended up on a psychiatric ward.

The structure of this novel is challenging, but once you understand the flow, it becomes an easy read. Be prepared… it’s non-linear the story jumps back and forth between 3 or 4 events at a time within chapters. It’s disorienting and certain lines are highly repetitive and this gave me a headache at times, but I think this depicts Eva’s mind on the psychiatric ward very well.

This is a character driven novel and there is not one sane character in this book. Excellent, well-thought out writing that may make you hate men. 

⭐️This author is the woman who Toni Morrison said changed literature forever.

⭐️This book is a reminder to myself not to neglect my back list books. A HIDDEN GEM.

Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

4.5

Ike, a black man and Buddy-Lee, a white man are ex-convict fathers who come together to seek justice, after they learn about the murder of their sons, who were married to each other. They are completely different men that have to put their differences aside whilst grieving for their sons.

This book is the most down and dirty book I have read and by that, I mean it’s full of violence, profanity, it’s gritty and graphic! Please approach with caution as the story is full of homophobia, but it’s brutally honest about how a homophobic father feels towards his son.

The book is a great exploration of the revelation of one’s sexuality and a father’s expectations of his son. 

A part of me felt that they were not seeking justice for their sons. They were acting out of the sheer guilt of not accepting their sons for who they were when they were alive. They ultimately wanted Vengeance.

I didn’t give it a 5 ⭐️ as at times the story felt as though it was trying to be too woke in relation to Buddy-Lee’s ignorance on race.

Please read this, even though 80% of the story is full of violence 🫠😫😀 whilst reading I kept picturing Denzel Washington playing Ike 🙌🏾

Hope and Glory by Jendella Benson

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

British-Nigerian, 20 something year old Glory returns home to Peckham from her glamorous life style in LA to mourn the death of her father, but she unearths a family secret.

Firstly, I will say that the title may seem very plain and simple, however upon reading, it all made sense and it is actually a genius title; caught me off guard. 👏🏾 

I didn’t relate to Glory’s character. She was immature and naive and seemed much younger than stated. There wasn’t any clear growth and unfortunately I found her character flat and uninteresting. 

The storyline is solid and explores a system that is rarely spoken of and one that I had little knowledge of. I can’t mention this system as it will be a spoiler. 😉 

The story has many themes and explores sisterhood, motherhood and family dynamics. The Mental health of Glory’s mother was an interesting angle and this is probably one of the first books I have read where a daughter stood up for and protected her Nigerian mother’s mental health. I thought this was written very well. 

I will definitely read more from this author. Even though I wasn’t a fan of the main character, the storyline was great, it was an easy read in between my trauma heavy books.