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caseythereader 's review for:

Songs of Irie by Asha Ashanti Bromfield
4.0
dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced
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

Thanks to Wednesday Books for the free copy of this book.

 - SONGS OF IRIE is a beautiful, heart-wrenching book. I was immediately drawn into Irie and Jilly's world, rooting for them to come together in a city that was breaking apart.
- This book covers so much: racism, classism, colorism, homophobia, the limits of words vs. actions, the ripple effects of violence on a community. It's a hard story to read at times, but it's a great example of what is possible in the YA genre.
- For me, some of the conversations and arguments became repetitive as the book went on, but the topics and feelings were so nuanced that I suppose it was hard not to revisit them repeatedly. Bromfield really did a great job showing that the lines between "good guys" and "bad guys" are not always so clear, and that everything goes deeper than you think. 

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