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veronicakirchner's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
The most content warnings I’ve ever added for a single book. A deeply troubling, heavy novel with some glimmers of hope; these two women’s stories are interwoven tragically and beautifully. I am devastated and heart broken for the main characters and the pain/traumas they have suffered, yet find solace in the simple pleasure and peace they derive from their love for one another.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Child death, Pedophilia, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Homophobia and Blood
montsett's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
kajasversion's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
A sad exploration of human lives and their inevitable intertwinement. The characters are flawed and hurt, which makes their existance seem even more real. I was sad for them, for everything they had to go through. But they found eachother, and they knew from the first moment they had something special.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use
mcampbell's review against another edition
emotional
medium-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
2.75
Authors 1st adult fiction. Thought it would be way better than this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Minor: Cursing
alliereads_'s review against another edition
emotional
2.0
I really wanted to like this book, knowing how popular it was and that it featured a lesbian romance, but I was let down. The plot takes off way too fast; we have no connection to these characters or understanding of why they make the choices they make. I don't empathize over her mother's death, I don't connect to her love for Annie, I don't understand the significance of Sara's relationship with her father, I don't feel the betrayal by Eugene, I don't get why she left so suddenly, abandoning her brother, to go off with a boy she doesn't know or why she suddenly agreed to prostitute herself to support them. It is the definition of telling, not showing. Unfortunately, this never changes. Yerba Buena feels disjointed; less like a cohesive novel and more like a series of vignettes (some of which are quite enjoyable!). Any progress feels swiftly undone from one chapter to the next. I just was never truly able to care about any of the characters or their relationships as a whole.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Drug abuse
lenareads75's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, and Death of parent
afrenette's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Death of parent
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
mx_sunshine's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I love the relaxing way Nina LaCour describes spaces. I love how the passions of the main characters were explored. Nina conveys her great appreciation of beauty through her writing. Buildings, drinks, and flowers are romantically described.
I appreciate the many different life events Nina covered. Death, grief, trauma, moving and heartache. I liked the pace of the book. I was surprised at how dark the content was in the beginning.
I feel like side characters weren’t fleshed out beyond their relationship to the main characters.
I would’ve liked to read more about how Emilie and Sarah supported each other. I feel like I understood their passions as a reader, but I would’ve liked the characters to express their admiration for each other.
I really enjoyed Emilie’s development over the book.
Emilie and Sarah spend more time apart in the novel than together. I feel like Sarah was
It would have been interesting to see how Emilie and Sarah discuss and reflect on their class differences. There was a lot of emphasis on Emilie’s immigrant grandparents. But she grew up in a home where she was financially supported. She spends years as an undergraduate in university and finishes with a degree that she doesn’t use.
Sarah mentions she read books that were on a university list.
I want to know how Spencer is doing. It feels like characters are given a happy ending through the establishment of a relationship.
I thought the way Collette’s retreat couldn’t be defined was strange. It felt like an easy way to rush character development.
Emilie’s and Sarah’s experiences with drugs was used as a similarity between them. But this history wasn’t expanded on in how they managed that in the present.
There seems to be a lot of unhealed trauma in this book that people aren’t seeking help for. This makes me wary to accept the “happy” ending.
I appreciate the many different life events Nina covered. Death, grief, trauma, moving and heartache. I liked the pace of the book. I was surprised at how dark the content was in the beginning.
I feel like side characters weren’t fleshed out beyond their relationship to the main characters.
I would’ve liked to read more about how Emilie and Sarah supported each other. I feel like I understood their passions as a reader, but I would’ve liked the characters to express their admiration for each other.
I really enjoyed Emilie’s development over the book.
Emilie and Sarah spend more time apart in the novel than together. I feel like Sarah was
It would have been interesting to see how Emilie and Sarah discuss and reflect on their class differences. There was a lot of emphasis on Emilie’s immigrant grandparents. But she grew up in a home where she was financially supported. She spends years as an undergraduate in university and finishes with a degree that she doesn’t use.
Sarah mentions she read books that were on a university list.
I want to know how Spencer is doing. It feels like characters are given a happy ending through the establishment of a relationship.
I thought the way Collette’s retreat couldn’t be defined was strange. It felt like an easy way to rush character development.
Emilie’s and Sarah’s experiences with drugs was used as a similarity between them. But this history wasn’t expanded on in how they managed that in the present.
There seems to be a lot of unhealed trauma in this book that people aren’t seeking help for. This makes me wary to accept the “happy” ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cursing
shannahtan's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
4.5
I personally loved this book. I was immediately drawn in and didn’t want to put it down. I read that Emilie’s family is based on Nina LaCour’s dad’s family, which is a fun tidbit. I heard this was LaCour’s first adult novel, and I thought it was wonderful. I loved We Are Not Okay as well. I could relate to Emilie’s wandering as she was trying out different majors and jobs. Her relationship with her family ebbs and flows. She is forgotten then loved them left. I think both Sara and Emilie are imperfect, and in some ways, that makes them more loveable. It’s a heart wrenching story with a silver lining at the end. Plus sapphic love.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Pedophilia
Minor: Child death, Death, and Death of parent
ada_rosales's review against another edition
challenging
fast-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Grief, and Abandonment