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abinthebooks 's review for:
Starfish
by Akemi Dawn Bowman
TW - EMOTIONALLY ABUSIVE PARENTS, SEXUAL ASSAULT/ABUSE, DIVORCE, PTSD (kinda), SUICIDE ATTEMPT, SUCIDE MENTIONS, ANXIETY, SOCIAL ANXIETY, PREDATORY FAMILY MEMEBR, RACISM
Wow is all I really have to say about this book. Like WOW. This book broke me, like it shattered me into a million pieces and put me back together so many times, that I genuinely couldn't count. I cried 4 or 5 times reading this book, and I'm not even going to be ashamed of it.
[b: Starfish|40611543|Starfish|Akemi Dawn Bowman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529682481l/40611543._SY75_.jpg|49731957] left an everlasting effect on me. That effect is still here about a week later, and I don't think it will ever leave. I was genuinely so impacted by this book, and it's definitely making it on my top 10 for 2020s list, HANDS DOWN, and probably my favorites of ALL time, which is a bold statement coming from someone who doesn't give the list 'favorites of all time' lightly.
This book wasn't happy. It wasn't uplifting, or sweet, like most YA contemporaries are, and maybe towards the end sure, the tone felt lighter, but don't go into this book EXPECTING a happy-go-lucky story with a sweet romance and a great side character. While their is that, that's not really what the book is about. Their are a lot of triggers going into this book, and it's not for everyone, but it's amazing. And you really see Kiko grow as a character even though this book is so short.
She really grows as a character from page 1 to the last sentence. Character growth in each chapter and in such a short time frame, absolutely astounded me, and I loved every second of Kiko's transformation.
Their is romance, and an amazing friendship, but those aren't the main focus. It's more of Kiko growing as character, living through so much emotional abuse her mother has put her through, and coming out in the end somewhat broken, but not shattered with pieces that she glued back together. This is also an amazing book about culture and race, and discussing beauty and self love.
And the writing was just, amazing. [a: Akemi Dawn Bowman|15068129|Akemi Dawn Bowman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1584360966p2/15068129.jpg] is SUCH a great writer. I mean she made me cry like 5 times, so I think that just says that she's a great writer, but wow I just loved her writing so damn much.
The main reason I love this book so much though, is because of how much I relate to Kiko as a character. I don't go through the emotional abuse to the extent Kiko has been, but I related to her in other ways. The way she felt about her siblings, the way she felt she wasn't good enough, the way she felt she had to do everything to make everyone else happy, ALL of her anxiety. I just felt connected to her on a personal level.
I definitely recommend this book, if you can take the trigger warnings, but just know, you will be physically punched in the gut, and your heart will stomped on a million times.
Also really excited to read her other two books, [b: Summer Bird Blue|35716237|Summer Bird Blue|Akemi Dawn Bowman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1516638251l/35716237._SY75_.jpg|57219113] and [b: Harley in the Sky|38326343|Harley in the Sky|Akemi Dawn Bowman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1559866874l/38326343._SY75_.jpg|59981896] although I'll probably get my heart ripped out again
Wow is all I really have to say about this book. Like WOW. This book broke me, like it shattered me into a million pieces and put me back together so many times, that I genuinely couldn't count. I cried 4 or 5 times reading this book, and I'm not even going to be ashamed of it.
[b: Starfish|40611543|Starfish|Akemi Dawn Bowman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529682481l/40611543._SY75_.jpg|49731957] left an everlasting effect on me. That effect is still here about a week later, and I don't think it will ever leave. I was genuinely so impacted by this book, and it's definitely making it on my top 10 for 2020s list, HANDS DOWN, and probably my favorites of ALL time, which is a bold statement coming from someone who doesn't give the list 'favorites of all time' lightly.
This book wasn't happy. It wasn't uplifting, or sweet, like most YA contemporaries are, and maybe towards the end sure, the tone felt lighter, but don't go into this book EXPECTING a happy-go-lucky story with a sweet romance and a great side character. While their is that, that's not really what the book is about. Their are a lot of triggers going into this book, and it's not for everyone, but it's amazing. And you really see Kiko grow as a character even though this book is so short.
She really grows as a character from page 1 to the last sentence. Character growth in each chapter and in such a short time frame, absolutely astounded me, and I loved every second of Kiko's transformation.
Their is romance, and an amazing friendship, but those aren't the main focus. It's more of Kiko growing as character, living through so much emotional abuse her mother has put her through, and coming out in the end somewhat broken, but not shattered with pieces that she glued back together. This is also an amazing book about culture and race, and discussing beauty and self love.
And the writing was just, amazing. [a: Akemi Dawn Bowman|15068129|Akemi Dawn Bowman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1584360966p2/15068129.jpg] is SUCH a great writer. I mean she made me cry like 5 times, so I think that just says that she's a great writer, but wow I just loved her writing so damn much.
The main reason I love this book so much though, is because of how much I relate to Kiko as a character. I don't go through the emotional abuse to the extent Kiko has been, but I related to her in other ways. The way she felt about her siblings, the way she felt she wasn't good enough, the way she felt she had to do everything to make everyone else happy, ALL of her anxiety. I just felt connected to her on a personal level.
I definitely recommend this book, if you can take the trigger warnings, but just know, you will be physically punched in the gut, and your heart will stomped on a million times.
Also really excited to read her other two books, [b: Summer Bird Blue|35716237|Summer Bird Blue|Akemi Dawn Bowman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1516638251l/35716237._SY75_.jpg|57219113] and [b: Harley in the Sky|38326343|Harley in the Sky|Akemi Dawn Bowman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1559866874l/38326343._SY75_.jpg|59981896] although I'll probably get my heart ripped out again