Whelp, this won’t go well because I rarely take the time to tap out a review on GoodReads. Did not finish, I probably got 55-60% through. It takes A WHOLE LOT to give up on a book. There is a lot of promise in the premise but I’m afraid Brashears suffers from the typical mistakes any MFA-fresh writers makes. Most of the super low reviews are people outraged by the graphic sex, which is the least of my cares. I’m annoyed at the painfully one-dimensional characters, the drifting and meandering plot, and the grating dialogue + constant culture drops that are incessantly reminding us that even though this is marketed as “gothic,” it is indeed in current times. As a White reader, I was pretty conflicted in the first third trying to decide if Brashears was constructing an inflammatory version of Southern Appalachian Black poverty (“barefoot and pregnant” teenage girl who overdraws her account with her Netflix subscription) or if she was simply revealing the experiences of her region. It may be that the author is challenging the comfort level of her readership (scan the 1-star reviews here; some reviewers may want to pause and wonder WHY they are so disgusted by Magnolia’s choices and ask what this says about their notions of morality and policing Black bodies). Representation matters so much and I am grateful for her voice, but I’m afraid poorly written work is still just that. I’m pretty confused by the glowing bylines and public reviews crowning Brashears an integral and unique new voice. I just don’t see it. I never give 1-star reviews unless something is outrageous. Two stars because for a debut novel from a young writer, the setting is richly evocative.