Tiffany D. Jackson

Writing in the voice of a teen can be super difficult, but some of the dialogue here was seriously cheesy. But these authors have written teen characters before that sounded/felt more natural.

Despite that, good inclusion of diversity, love, and different cultures. I found Stevie to be really annoying and pretentious though the grand gesture at the end was sweet. You can't hinge the story on the most unlikable character.

I don’t think I cared for any of the couples here unlike Blackout though it was nice that most of the misunderstandings/miscommunications were lighthearted.

Blackout: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3663456371

2.5… (mer)

This book was intense. It may be a YA book but it wasn't afraid to tackle real and important issues. On the surface it seems like a ripped from the headlines R. Kelly retelling. I think while that's certainly a take-away you can go with I think there is another level that is meant to be explored and exposed. It is about rape culture. It is about a societal blind eye that prevails against women and men in power, especially women of color and men in power. This book will make you angry because it just doesn't seem like any of this should be able to happen but we know it does and that's horrifying and it just makes you angry that it can happen. That it does happen. One voice should be enough, especially when that voice says, "no."… (mer)