by Naima Coster finished March 26th
This was not a book I would have picked out for myself. I read it specifically to fill an Extreme Reader Category (8- A book from one of these two celebrity book clubs: Oprah's Book Club or the Read with Jenna Book Club). Sadly both of these book clubs seem to choose books that are real downers.
I was immediately sucked in by the first chapter. Ray was a fantastic character, a strong quiet male who loves to bake and dotes on the son he chose, Gee. The rest of the characters were not as likable but it was a compelling storyline.
Lacey May was a ridiculous racist but somehow became accepting of her daughter's Puerto Rican wife. Ruth was not helpful to Lacey May when she had no heat but later on, took in Noelle. It felt like the author was using the fact that Gee masturbated so much as a teen as an excuse for his serial cheating. Margarita was entirely unlikeable as was Robbie. There was zero character development for Bailey. Jade was trying but some actions such as refusing to let Leon meet Gee were ridiculous. Plus, where did she get off judging Noelle for an abortion while working at the clinic herself? Leon had even mentioned how she was advocating for patients but then she was judging them?
The book weaves between characters and time periods, and while it does all relate there were times it was hard to follow. I found myself reading and rereading pages, especially while sitting in an urgent care waiting to find out if my husband and I had strep (we did!).
I really liked how the author did not name the town in which the story took place. It made it harder to find fault with geographical mistakes like I did throughout Where the Crawdads Sing.
While there were things I appreciated about this book, it isn't one I would recommend but it was worth reading. I wanted to finish it, not just to finish it but to learn what happened.
Reading Contests:
10 to Try: None
Extreme Reader:
8- A book from one of these two celebrity book clubs: Oprah's Book Club or the Read with Jenna Book Club
16- A book set on the East coast of the United States