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beautynbks's reviews
319 reviews
The Color of a Lie by Kim Johnson
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Pardon My Frenchie by Farrah Rochon
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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? Yes
5.0
I loved this book and Farah Rochon had me wanting to get a dog.
A Talent for Murder by Peter Swanson
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Curvy Girl Summer by Danielle Allen
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-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
3.5
Things I loved:
A fabulously thick Black woman comfortable in her own skin. Aaliyah had a great support system with her girlfriends. We are nothing without our girls. Her family loved and supported her except for her Uncle Al. I couldn’t stand him.
Ahmad was EVERYTHING. Enough said.
Things I didn’t love:
What I didn’t enjoy was how Aaliyah got in her own damn way and the need to have a boyfriend by her thirtieth birthday. It was giving desperation and she was better than that. The endless dates Aaliyah went on stretch on far too long. The book could have ended 100 pages earlier.
Danielle Allen is a fantastic author but I didn’t love this one.
A fabulously thick Black woman comfortable in her own skin. Aaliyah had a great support system with her girlfriends. We are nothing without our girls. Her family loved and supported her except for her Uncle Al. I couldn’t stand him.
Ahmad was EVERYTHING. Enough said.
Things I didn’t love:
What I didn’t enjoy was how Aaliyah got in her own damn way and the need to have a boyfriend by her thirtieth birthday. It was giving desperation and she was better than that. The endless dates Aaliyah went on stretch on far too long. The book could have ended 100 pages earlier.
Danielle Allen is a fantastic author but I didn’t love this one.
From Come Over To Come Home by Jahquel J.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Blood at the Root by LaDarrion Williams
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I’m going to tell my kids this is Harry Potter. Blood at the Root was filled with no stop action. A black boy with magical powers is what we need in this world because Black people are magical. Act I was nonstop action and Malik is coming to the realization that he has power in his hands but doesn’t know how to harness it.
As another reviewer stated, Act I and III were filled with action, lies and betrayal but something was missing in the middle of the book. The story became muddled and confusing. Overall this is an amazing book and I’m glad I was finally able to listen to it and I’m ready for book two right now.
As another reviewer stated, Act I and III were filled with action, lies and betrayal but something was missing in the middle of the book. The story became muddled and confusing. Overall this is an amazing book and I’m glad I was finally able to listen to it and I’m ready for book two right now.
Bitter and Sweet by Rhonda McKnight
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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
Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Missing White Woman by Kellye Garrett
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I keep giving Kellye Garrett’s books a chance and I continue to be disappointed. The title alone, Missing White Woman is polarizing but it fell flat.
Kellye Garrett writes these hapless and totally clueless characters that make me want to slap them. Breanna Wright was useless to me. I didn’t like or connect with her. Bree as
her friends called her, left Baltimore to spend time with her newish boyfriend Ty in an AirBnb in New Jersey. He seemed shady from the jump.
Ty was working but seemed extremely secretive. Bree goes to bed one night and wakes up to a dead white woman on the floor and no Ty. Bree seemed to be perpetually losing her phone and time. She didn’t ask the right questions and when her former best friend, Adore resurfaces to help her find answers, I knew immediately why Adore was so “helpful”.
How can a book have so much going on and nothing at the same? Missing White Woman was missing more than the white woman!
Kellye Garrett writes these hapless and totally clueless characters that make me want to slap them. Breanna Wright was useless to me. I didn’t like or connect with her. Bree as
her friends called her, left Baltimore to spend time with her newish boyfriend Ty in an AirBnb in New Jersey. He seemed shady from the jump.
Ty was working but seemed extremely secretive. Bree goes to bed one night and wakes up to a dead white woman on the floor and no Ty. Bree seemed to be perpetually losing her phone and time. She didn’t ask the right questions and when her former best friend, Adore resurfaces to help her find answers, I knew immediately why Adore was so “helpful”.
How can a book have so much going on and nothing at the same? Missing White Woman was missing more than the white woman!
The Vacancy in Room 10 by Seraphina Nova Glass
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was not on my radar at all until I watched one of my favorite TikTokers give a glowing review. While I didn’t love it as much as she did, it was still enjoyable.
I couldn’t imagine receiving a phone call from my husband telling me he’s sorry and then boom his gone from this earth. Anna moves into the dumpy apartment her husband was using as his “art space”, to find out what happened to him. First off why is my husband paying for an art space outside of our home? That was problematic for me. There is trust and there is woeful ignorance.
The other main character was Cass. She broke one of my cardinal rules, not having her own ish! Her man broke up with her and put her out of HIS home! She ended up at the Sycamore Apartments as the handy woman. She did some questionable things for money. Of course it went sideways. There were some serious characters there and they made an unconventional group but they were a family.
The Vacancy in Room 10 was a great book to make the weekend go by faster.
I couldn’t imagine receiving a phone call from my husband telling me he’s sorry and then boom his gone from this earth. Anna moves into the dumpy apartment her husband was using as his “art space”, to find out what happened to him. First off why is my husband paying for an art space outside of our home? That was problematic for me. There is trust and there is woeful ignorance.
The other main character was Cass. She broke one of my cardinal rules, not having her own ish! Her man broke up with her and put her out of HIS home! She ended up at the Sycamore Apartments as the handy woman. She did some questionable things for money. Of course it went sideways. There were some serious characters there and they made an unconventional group but they were a family.
The Vacancy in Room 10 was a great book to make the weekend go by faster.