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Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I loved Sybil. This was my first time reading a story with an autistic character fleshed out in this way and so well. The character development for Sybil was phenomenal. I also thought Michael was developed amazingly well, too. The author said the story was inspired by a gender reversal of Pretty Woman, and I certainly got that, but Michael was much more than an escort. I loved how he treated Sybil.
I also loved that this wasn’t just the sex lessons trope for an inexperienced woman. At first it was about helping a woman who hated French kissing because it reminded her of “a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish” and who also locked down (physically and mentally) whenever a man touched her. Then those lessons turned into teaching Sybil about how to do relationships because she’d never been in one before. I appreciate those differences with the trope. Many women, whether they are autistic or not, will related to Sybil and her struggles with intimacy and relationships.
These characters will stick with me. I can say that with confidence.
I did get triggered once, though, when Michael said that his mom has incurable, inoperable lung cancer. My mom was recently diagnosed with Stage 3-B lung cancer (like Michael’s mom, she’d never smoked and was just unlucky). I wasn’t anticipating a reminder like that when I was using this book to escape during her treatments. That yanked me out of the story and it took me a moment to get back into it, but I still loved every part of this story.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Given how much I was hoping to enjoy this because of all the hype and the interesting concept, I found the story dull, slow, and predictable. Although some things happened, it felt like nothing was happening because it wasn’t exciting and the writing didn’t engage me. And for a book of this size, that’s not good. Most of it was drawn out with no purpose other than for the characters to realize things later when they could’ve figured it out much sooner.
The things that were meant to be surprises or twists failed for me. I was able to guess everything instantly. Like how the white-haired woman Sophia saw at the ball was Liv, how King Manford is Prince Charming, and that her sucks the life from the girls to stay young.
Another thing that bugged me was how some things were too convenient or didn’t make sense. The biggest thing was how no one in Constance’s family line, who are descended from Gabrielle (a “wicked” step-sister), never thought that the fairy godmother would know what they didn’t know, like why Cinderella went to the ball. For two hundred years, no one ever considered seeking the fairy godmother out to ask her the questions that it should’ve been obvious only she would know the answers to? That didn’t work for me at all. Or how Sophia was the one to realize the fairy godmother would know and it’s her idea to look for her, or someone who’d know her, after hearing the truth about Cinderella’s story a moment before. My literal reaction was “why didn’t the step-mother or step-sisters or ANYONE think of that?”
Nearly all of Sophia’s decisions had me scratching my head. Like going to see Erin after the last failed attempt and before they succeeded with their plan. It made no sense to me.
Also, although the story was in first person and Sophia‘s perspective was the only one, I felt detached from her. If the point-of-view had been deepened, that would’ve helped.
The writing and plot and characters just didn’t do it for me, unfortunately.
I loved reading about Nubia, Wonder Woman’s sister. I appreciated that important current events like protests and Black Lives Matter and a school shooting were crucial to the storyline. Nubia is a REAL hero deserving of the title.
Content Warning: police brutality and shooting, racial profiling, school shooting, guns, gunshot wounds
Content Warning: police brutality and shooting, racial profiling, school shooting, guns, gunshot wounds
I was drawn in instantly by the writing, the story, and Koreda, the narrator whose sister is a serial killer. It reminded me a little of Gillian Flynn. That’s not meant to be a comparison, though. It’s been a long time since I read Gillian Flynn and Oyinkan Braithwaite is one-of-a-kind. If you enjoy thrillers and mysteries, check this book out!