lon3rston3r's reviews
58 reviews

I absolutely loved this book! It was the perfect mix of a sci-fi and thriller. I did find the story hard to follow at times, especially given the aspects of

time travel

. I also hated the romantic relationship between the main character and ol' dude, but I sped through this book and I would recommend it to anyone!

Where do I start? I originally picked up this book at the bookstore because I wanted a light read. I thought I knew exactly what I was getting when I picked up this book, but I was wrong. I genuinely believe that I wouldn't even like this in middle school, which was when I would eat up stories like this. At the time of choosing the book, I was not aware that it was the second book in the series and that the book was written in the early 2000s by a man (should NEVER make assumptions about a person based on their name alone), and that he started writing when he was in prison. That's amazing for him, but if I knew all of this, I would not have chose this book.

I stopped reading the book because I couldn't take the writing or the characters anymore. There were many times I wanted to put the book down, but I kept sticking it out until I just completely lost interest.

Now, for my in-depth review: 

First and foremost, the beginning of the book was the first time I wanted to put the book down. The author chose to use the N-word (HARD R) and it shocked the hell outta me. It's considered an "urban" book so the word being used isn't a big deal to me, however, I kept reading and a couple of pages later, the author refered to NWA and used the N-word again but with the "A" at the end. So the author didn't have to use the hard "R", but chose to anyways, which confused me and well...I didn't want to be hate-crimed throughout the book.

Then I ABSOLUTELY HATED the characterization of the main characters's (Tonya a.k.a. Tender) friend, Na'aeema. The author kept repeating the fact that she was fat, but still pretty (not as pretty as Tender). It just felt like she was reduced to the fat friend and sidekick. Always being there for Tender and listening to her problems, but Tender never seemed to reciprocate the love. Specifically, there was the part where Tender and Na'aeema were in the club and they both spot Q. Na'aeema immediately notices him and talks about how fine he is and how she wants some of that and instead of Tender being a normal person and just saying that they had a past and he's off limits, Tender makes a big point to say that Na'aeema isn't his type. In fact, she literally said that Q likes his women "slim in the waist and cute in the face". I found that so weird and once again it was another way for the author to once again make her just the "fat friend". This wasn't the part of the book that made me put it down, but it stuck with me as to why I don't like the book. 

This book is a series of essays about various topics within the Black community, such as feminism, internalized racism, capitalism, education, and others. I liked the book and agreed with most of what was said. bell hooks does a good job of presenting the topic, her opinion, and her solutions for combating these societal issues.

WHEW! I listened to the internet and bought this book because the plot of following 4 friends throughout their lives intrigued me and I knew it was gonna be sad, but OMG I wasn't expecting it to be absolutely heart-wrenching. The book ended up following one character more than the others and at first, I didn't mind because they are the most compelling out of the rest of the friend group, but later I found myself wanting to know more about the other characters. All the characters are lovable and the way the story unfolds, you find yourself wanting the best for them. I would say that this book has almost all the content warnings and that if you are sensitive to that or just can't handle sad books, then read at your own risk. Overall, I would still say to read the book at your own risk, even though it was written well, because it certainly changed the trajectory of my life.

DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T WANT ANY OF THE BOOK SPOILED

Like I said, the plot said it follows 4 friends throughout their lives, but it eventually starts to just follow Jude, the friend with the most trauma EVER. His character is compelling at first and you find yourself wanting to know what happened to him that made him so f*cked in the head. As the book goes on, his character becomes insufferable, even though I sympathize with what happened to him. He constantly refuses help from his friends and his mentor. Believes himself to be unlovable despite the people in his life constantly telling and showing him that they love him and they care. He needed help bad and I found myself practically yelling at the book "GET THERAPY BRO". Jude ended up being the main character and I was sad because his two friends, JB and Malcolm, took a backseat to the story. What a coincidence. The two black characters suddenly don't matter, even though they both went through quite some things as well like addiction.

Willem didn't take so much of a backseat given he was closer to Jude and eventually them ending up together. I loved them coming to the conclusion that they loved each other not just platonically but romantically as well. Also it was hard to watch Jude get to his 30s and 40s still needing that constant validation and love that he would reject. Again found myself mad when Jude was still self-harming at 40. The last two sections of the book ripped me apart and I was BAWLING at the end of the "Happy Years" section, because the audacity to name it that! I did love the book hence my 5 star rating, but would I recommend this book to anyone? Not unless I knew they could emotionally handle it.   

 

Out of all of bell hooks's work, this is my least favorite. I ended up reading the book because everyone was raving about how it would change your perspective on love. However, I didn't find the book that revolutionary or life-changing to my thoughts or opinions on love. There were times that I would side-eye hooks and her opinions. Overall it is a well-written book that explores all types of love such as platonic, familial and romantic love.

This is my favorite book of 2023. It is a non-fiction and historical book, but it reads like a thriller/mystery. I picked this book up right before the movie came out and I didn't know the movie was based on a book. So I bought it and I was hooked by the first couple of pages.

It is an extremely sad piece of history and the author does an amazing job slowly unfolding the story while being respectful to the Osage tribe and you can tell the author cares about having their story told right. I do not know much about the history of Indigenous Americans and this was quite the way to start it off. As an avid Black history reader, the similarities were staggering and it just shows how f*cked up the white people of the time were and how much they tried to hold on to power and authority even though they had no reason to.

DO NOT READ IF YOU WANNA READ FOR YOURSELF

Imagine being displaced from your ancestral land by random people who aren't even native to the land and then forcibly moved somewhere else those random people thought would hold back your people, and then your people become rich AF because those people moved your community to land that was actually rich in resources. Then imagine those random settlers tryna circle back and take the land back now that they know what it holds. Then when that doesn't work, they take control of your finances. Eventually, that isn't enough so they just start killing off individuals in your community because they think they deserve the money more. Just absolutely crazy and audacious. An amazing story.   

 

I have been waiting for YEARS to hear Britney's side of the story! She filled in the missing pieces and context to her story and it is a triumphant way for her to reclaim her independence by re-telling her life in her own words. While reading her memoir, I got the sense that she had lost a lot of time and sometimes it felt as if she was skipping parts of her life. I don't know if it was for privacy reasons or if she just did not remember those parts of her life anymore. It just highlights how sad the conservatorship was for her and how much she was shut off from the world. Overall, her resilience is admirable and I am happy that she got to tell her side of the story in her own words. 

One of my favorite parts of the book is her recounting her time with JT and her commentary about *NSYNC and their connection and alignment to black culture. She really clocked them and it tickled me to read.

This book provides a compelling argument about why society should support the system of policing that exists today. It talks about the origins and how policing has shifted and morphed into what we know it today. It is a very tedious read and it took me quite some time to read through it. It is definitely a book that requires more than one read.

I have always been curious about Jada Pinkett Smith so when she released her book, I bought it right away. She's always been a well of inspiration and knowledge and it reflects well in her memoir. I love when celebrity memoirs don't hold out on the reader and Jada definitely gives us that. At the end of each chapter is a sort of homage towards the Red Table Talk where she reflects on that time in her life and what lessons she learned. The pages also invites readers to reflect on their own lives as well by asking questions. I think that was a cute touch even though I am not big on the self-help genre.

This book was a birthday gift and the plot seems very interesting at first glance. It is definitely a young adult book because I found myself cringing a little at the dialogue at times. Overall, I enjoyed the book and nothing stood out to me hence my 3 stars.