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overbooked207's review
- 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
1st book of July 2022 and 15th book of the year:
This was such a powerful, fantastic, and relevant book and prequel to one of my all-time favorites, Pet. You don’t have to read Pet in order to understand this book, but I highly recommend doing so anyway because it's also such an amazing and important book. I loved that we got to go back in time to see the events talked about in Pet in this book and follow Bitter’s story this time, and it felt more mature and heavier than Pet. The writing and world-building are always phenomenal in Akwaeke Emezi’s books, and this time was no different. The themes/topics that the book brings up including revolution, healing, generational trauma, mental health, found family/coming together as a community to help each other, using art as activism, the cycle of violence, and more are all super important to talk about nowadays and always, the making it a book that I think absolutely everybody should pick up. The audiobook was also done beautifully, and it felt more mature and heavier than Pet, which was already dealing with very heavy subject matter. I highly recommend reading this and everything by Akwaeke Emezi, and I am absolutely in love with all of their book covers! TW for blood, death, self-harm/cutting, police brutality, racism, homophobia, war, hate crimes, dissociation, panic attacks, gun violence, gore, fire/fire injury, vomit, ableism, injuries/injury description, abuse, abandonment, mention of the death of a parent, mention of rape, medical content/trauma, eye mutilation, body horror, mental illness, child abuse, and grief📚🎨
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
ekmook's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism
ashleycmms's review
- 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
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Body horror, Infidelity, and Death of parent
karcitis's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Police brutality, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
Minor: Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Excrement, Kidnapping, and Lesbophobia
solenekeleroux's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, and War
Moderate: Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
coolfoolmoon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Emezi has a real talent, a real beauty in absorbing me into these words. There was one page I gasped at least 10 times, just one page! And throughout the whole book I was so giddy. But can you blame me? A straight (presenting(?)) couple so gay they grow to have a trans daughter? I love it here! We have no choice but to stan! If there's a third book I'm sending Emezi my paycheck the day the book is announced.
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Blood, Police brutality, and Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Self harm, Violence, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia
emilyreads_books's review
- 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
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
anonymous_k's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Good book! I go back and forth on whether I like Bitter more than Pet, but both were good and important reads! All educators need to read these books (Pet and Bitter), and I would argue that any teens who are able to read such traumatic topics should read them too. I gave it a 4.5 because reading such heavy and traumatic topics is hard for me. I am very happy to have learned more, but it took me a long time to read this book because of the severity of the trauma talked about in this book. Overall, I loved this book as it did a great job illustrating the trauma people of color (specifically black youth) face in America and it prepares me to create a safe haven and provide support in my future classroom for these traumatized students.
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse
readsandsuch's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism and Fire/Fire injury
emeraldelephant's review
- 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
Graphic: Racism, Police brutality, Medical content, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail