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nuhafariha 's review for:

5.0

Thank you to Simon & Schuster & NetGalley for the Reader's Copy!

Now available!

You know a book is incredible if you have to repeatedly Google the protagonist to make sure she's not, in fact, a real person. Engrossing and immersive, Dawnie Walton's The Final Revival of Opal and Nev is a wild journey through the world of rock and roll in the 1970s. Told from shifting viewpoints, the book does a great job of trying to pin down what it means to be a Black punk singer, a Black woman with aspirations, in racially tense America. The documentary style can be hard to adjust to at first but reminds me a lot of Dear White People, especially towards the end of the novel. One of my main critiques is that at times it seems to be overcrowded and the editor/protagonists voice gets drowned out in the ever shifting cast of characters. Overall, though, grab your popcorn & sit down for this juicy story!