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lit_vibrations's Reviews (365)
This was my first time reading a Mary Monroe novel and I wasn’t disappointed. I’ve seen so many reviews that hyped this up so of course I had to see for myself. There were a lot of moments I literally laughed out loud. From the beginning it grabbed my attention although some of it seemed far-fetched it was still a page turner. The second half was a shocker because I wasn’t expecting that plot twist.
But childhood friends Maggie and Hubert decide to marry each other in hopes of keeping their secrets hidden. As the story began to unfold I knew something drastic was bound to happen and this whole situation would blow up in their faces.
Now the hunt to find a man that could impregnate Maggie so Hubert didn’t have to was crazy and risky. They assumed bringing a child into the picture would make their marriage seem more realistic to others. So, when Maggie finally managed to get pregnant I felt nothing good would come from it. Maggie’s actions proved just that with her will to protect her only son Claude and the life she worked hard to build. Soon enough she lost way more than she bargained for.
The characters were well developed and had a lot of substance for the era of which the novel is written. The extent a person would go to keep a lie hidden was perfectly executed.
Since I’ve never read anything by the author prior this was definitely a good selection to begin with. She definitely takes you on a wild ride with this so I recommend!!!!!
But childhood friends Maggie and Hubert decide to marry each other in hopes of keeping their secrets hidden. As the story began to unfold I knew something drastic was bound to happen and this whole situation would blow up in their faces.
Now the hunt to find a man that could impregnate Maggie so Hubert didn’t have to was crazy and risky. They assumed bringing a child into the picture would make their marriage seem more realistic to others. So, when Maggie finally managed to get pregnant I felt nothing good would come from it. Maggie’s actions proved just that with her will to protect her only son Claude and the life she worked hard to build. Soon enough she lost way more than she bargained for.
The characters were well developed and had a lot of substance for the era of which the novel is written. The extent a person would go to keep a lie hidden was perfectly executed.
Since I’ve never read anything by the author prior this was definitely a good selection to begin with. She definitely takes you on a wild ride with this so I recommend!!!!!
Special thanks to the author, stmartinspress & netgalley for my advanced copy.
What a gem this was to read!!! I loved everything about this story from the characters, the premise, and the different topics mentioned that kept me entertained. I didn’t have high expectations which made this even more enjoyable. The beginning did have me thinking one thing but after a few chapters I realized it was going in another direction. The ending was a bit predictable though but it doesn’t take away from the story.
Now the author did well detailing the explicit scenes giving you a lot of spice without all the vulgar language. Just be advised she left nothing to the imagination.
I was even pleased with the fact this was about a 40 plus year old woman who’s experienced a traumatic divorce and was ready to move on with her life. It takes you on a journey of what it’s like for Vanessa after marriage with a dash of drama that follows.
Her newfound love sheriff Michael Parker was exactly what Vanessa needed!!! Although things between them moved rather quickly. When it’s meant to be you can’t fight fate.
There was a lot of diversity with the characters. Even without going into depth I was able to visualize all of them individually. Vanessa and Michael both had amazingly supportive friends which made all of them very likable.
Now this ex-husband was the epitome of trifling she did right by walking away from him.
Overall this was a really cute and fun read I definitely recommend!!!!
What a gem this was to read!!! I loved everything about this story from the characters, the premise, and the different topics mentioned that kept me entertained. I didn’t have high expectations which made this even more enjoyable. The beginning did have me thinking one thing but after a few chapters I realized it was going in another direction. The ending was a bit predictable though but it doesn’t take away from the story.
Now the author did well detailing the explicit scenes giving you a lot of spice without all the vulgar language. Just be advised she left nothing to the imagination.
I was even pleased with the fact this was about a 40 plus year old woman who’s experienced a traumatic divorce and was ready to move on with her life. It takes you on a journey of what it’s like for Vanessa after marriage with a dash of drama that follows.
Her newfound love sheriff Michael Parker was exactly what Vanessa needed!!! Although things between them moved rather quickly. When it’s meant to be you can’t fight fate.
There was a lot of diversity with the characters. Even without going into depth I was able to visualize all of them individually. Vanessa and Michael both had amazingly supportive friends which made all of them very likable.
Now this ex-husband was the epitome of trifling she did right by walking away from him.
Overall this was a really cute and fun read I definitely recommend!!!!
Special thanks to the author, grandcentralpub & netgalley for my advanced copy.
This was a pretty quick read. The author dives deep into how the “ride or die chick” analogy continues to negatively impact black women. Addressing how it’s so widely accepted because society has normalized this mentality. She uses various concepts from her personal life, church, community and the hip-hop culture to analyze how it all plays a role in the lives of black women. We’re always forced to do and take care of others before ourselves.
I feel this was a ploy to help us realize how much being a ride or die has placed pressure and stress on black women to remain loyal in situations that do not benefit us. We’ve been required to uphold this standard no matter the cost. I did like that she used hip-hop culture as the forefront to show how this narrative is continuously praised. We don’t realize how much music really impacts society.
Women have been faced with this same narrative generation after generation to the point it’s been instilled in us to always do the impossible. We take on the ride or die role autonomously because we’ve seen so many women before us do it. We have to always be this superwoman at work, with family, friends, and in our community too.
The author does well intertwining her own personal experiences into the book. I was able to connect with a few of the situations. She discussed a lot of heavy topics and things we experience as young black girls that nobody talks about.
I feel this was more informative than entertaining but still worth recommending!!!!!
This was a pretty quick read. The author dives deep into how the “ride or die chick” analogy continues to negatively impact black women. Addressing how it’s so widely accepted because society has normalized this mentality. She uses various concepts from her personal life, church, community and the hip-hop culture to analyze how it all plays a role in the lives of black women. We’re always forced to do and take care of others before ourselves.
I feel this was a ploy to help us realize how much being a ride or die has placed pressure and stress on black women to remain loyal in situations that do not benefit us. We’ve been required to uphold this standard no matter the cost. I did like that she used hip-hop culture as the forefront to show how this narrative is continuously praised. We don’t realize how much music really impacts society.
Women have been faced with this same narrative generation after generation to the point it’s been instilled in us to always do the impossible. We take on the ride or die role autonomously because we’ve seen so many women before us do it. We have to always be this superwoman at work, with family, friends, and in our community too.
The author does well intertwining her own personal experiences into the book. I was able to connect with a few of the situations. She discussed a lot of heavy topics and things we experience as young black girls that nobody talks about.
I feel this was more informative than entertaining but still worth recommending!!!!!
Special thanks to the author, publisher, & netgalley for my advanced copy.
This wasn’t what I expected at all. Not to say that I was expecting to be wowed but considering the title of the book. I figured the storyline would be something juicy. WRONG!!!!
We have Becky who suddenly becomes unsettled by her new neighbor. Mind you she doesn’t know him initially and prior to the neighbors arrival her life was perfectly fine. Then boom one day she goes to stare out the window of her home and who does she see staring up at her? The neighbor, right.
That part pulled me in. I can see why she found the neighbor a bit creepy given the scenario. However, this could’ve just been a coincidence too. But she let this one situation turn her upside down almost instantly. Literally as soon as this first run-in occurs a line of disastrous things begin to happen in Becky’s life. Now everything from that point forward falls back to it could be the mysterious neighbor doing all of these things.
What disappointed me was the story itself was fast paced because it’s short but I was left unamused. I felt it lacked a lot of depth and there was no real thrill or excitement. Becky kind of irked my nerves with her paranoia which was making the story drag. Just one assumption after another is all I can say. None of the characters are memorable.
But the kicker ended up being the creepy neighbor turns out to be her brother. Who she hadn’t seen since they were kids. I honestly felt like everything was so forced. Nothing built suspense or felt like a mystery to me. Just a bunch of rambling on and on and trying to force us to believe someone’s watching her. Which someone was stalking her lol but the author did a horrible job bringing it altogether.
Then the ending was just like hey I know you tried to kill me and ruin my life but you’re my brother I forgive you let’s make up.
I’m not going to say I recommend but read at your own will!!! My rating was solely given for effort.
This wasn’t what I expected at all. Not to say that I was expecting to be wowed but considering the title of the book. I figured the storyline would be something juicy. WRONG!!!!
We have Becky who suddenly becomes unsettled by her new neighbor. Mind you she doesn’t know him initially and prior to the neighbors arrival her life was perfectly fine. Then boom one day she goes to stare out the window of her home and who does she see staring up at her? The neighbor, right.
That part pulled me in. I can see why she found the neighbor a bit creepy given the scenario. However, this could’ve just been a coincidence too. But she let this one situation turn her upside down almost instantly. Literally as soon as this first run-in occurs a line of disastrous things begin to happen in Becky’s life. Now everything from that point forward falls back to it could be the mysterious neighbor doing all of these things.
What disappointed me was the story itself was fast paced because it’s short but I was left unamused. I felt it lacked a lot of depth and there was no real thrill or excitement. Becky kind of irked my nerves with her paranoia which was making the story drag. Just one assumption after another is all I can say. None of the characters are memorable.
But the kicker ended up being the creepy neighbor turns out to be her brother. Who she hadn’t seen since they were kids. I honestly felt like everything was so forced. Nothing built suspense or felt like a mystery to me. Just a bunch of rambling on and on and trying to force us to believe someone’s watching her. Which someone was stalking her lol but the author did a horrible job bringing it altogether.
Then the ending was just like hey I know you tried to kill me and ruin my life but you’re my brother I forgive you let’s make up.
I’m not going to say I recommend but read at your own will!!! My rating was solely given for effort.
Special thanks to the author, publisher, & netgalley for my advanced copy!!!!
This wasn’t a bad read it kind of gave twisted mystery vibes. There were a lot of characters mentioned so you’re told the story from everyone’s POV which I didn’t really like. After awhile the timeline got kind of confusing with the back and forth between characters. Can’t say any of them are memorable except Mrs.Patel because she had this rude nonchalant attitude about her and she seemed really jealous hearted. Everything that came out of her mouth screamed envious.
What I did enjoy was the fact you didn’t know who the actual killer was until the end. All of the characters were shady in some way and held dark secrets that could ruin them if found out. So, knowing everyone’s secret made their motives to kill Jia probable and any of them could’ve been the suspect.
There were also parts of the story that were a bit slow-paced with just getting to the point. Because again there were to many characters involved. I don’t think it was necessary to hear everyone’s point of view because it made things seem a bit inconsistent once things started to be revealed some of which was irrelevant to what was happening.
I honestly kept reading because I just wanted to know who the killer was and their secrets were getting kind of juicy.
This story was M-E-S-S-Y the friendships and the family relationships just trash like no loyalty whatsoever. The secret affair between Veer and Jia, the fact Sonia thought her mom killed their grandmother, Rebecca having a thing for Veer and kissing him a week before he marries her friend Alia just MESSSSY!!! Guess you can say I stayed for the drama.
Overall, it was an okay read I wasn’t really intrigued with the writing style. But the author did well keeping things a mystery I just think the delivery could’ve been a little better.
This wasn’t a bad read it kind of gave twisted mystery vibes. There were a lot of characters mentioned so you’re told the story from everyone’s POV which I didn’t really like. After awhile the timeline got kind of confusing with the back and forth between characters. Can’t say any of them are memorable except Mrs.Patel because she had this rude nonchalant attitude about her and she seemed really jealous hearted. Everything that came out of her mouth screamed envious.
What I did enjoy was the fact you didn’t know who the actual killer was until the end. All of the characters were shady in some way and held dark secrets that could ruin them if found out. So, knowing everyone’s secret made their motives to kill Jia probable and any of them could’ve been the suspect.
There were also parts of the story that were a bit slow-paced with just getting to the point. Because again there were to many characters involved. I don’t think it was necessary to hear everyone’s point of view because it made things seem a bit inconsistent once things started to be revealed some of which was irrelevant to what was happening.
I honestly kept reading because I just wanted to know who the killer was and their secrets were getting kind of juicy.
This story was M-E-S-S-Y the friendships and the family relationships just trash like no loyalty whatsoever. The secret affair between Veer and Jia, the fact Sonia thought her mom killed their grandmother, Rebecca having a thing for Veer and kissing him a week before he marries her friend Alia just MESSSSY!!! Guess you can say I stayed for the drama.
Overall, it was an okay read I wasn’t really intrigued with the writing style. But the author did well keeping things a mystery I just think the delivery could’ve been a little better.
Listened to the audiobook on Libby and this was a breath of fresh air from my current reads and pretty fast-paced. It’s a throwback urban fiction novel that’s apart of a sequel which I probably should’ve read the other two before diving into this but it was still cool. It just would’ve flowed a lot better for me knowing the back story to everything.
There are multiple characters so this story really had a lot going on I mean A LOT. You’ll definitely get a double dose of drama with this one. It’s told from everyone’s POV so there are a lot twists and the situations they were put into made it very entertaining. Also be warned this is overly spicy
There are multiple characters so this story really had a lot going on I mean A LOT. You’ll definitely get a double dose of drama with this one. It’s told from everyone’s POV so there are a lot twists and the situations they were put into made it very entertaining. Also be warned this is overly spicy
Black Cake takes you on a lifelong journey between the past and present life of Eleanor Bennett aka Covey. Along the way hidden family secrets after 50 years are finally revealed. Leaving those unbeknownst to the truth speechless and distraught.
Covey was unconventional, resilient, and a true survivor. No matter what she’d been faced with she found a way to overcome it. Almost forced to marry someone she didn’t love and was to old for her anyway. With the help of a family friend she was able to escape and never look back. Taking on a new identity and finding a way to survive at such a young age without ever being discovered took a lot courage for Covey to do.
Not gonna lie I almost gave up on this book in the beginning because it was a slow start. There was a lot to take in with the multiple characters, different POV’s, endless chapters, and the timeline jumps. But once I realized what was actually happening and that Covey and Eleanor were the same person I was hooked. Now don’t get me wrong this story had a few ups and downs for me and I did have moments of confusion. But overall I enjoyed Black Cake once I got about 65% into it. Yup took that long to pull me in.
What I enjoyed most was getting the full backstory on the characters. I wasn’t left needing to know more or curious about what happened to either of them. The author did well laying it out for you so nothing was left unanswered for the most part.
Now I will say because there were sooooooo many topics and different characters discussed I felt the author could’ve went more in depth on certain things. Like the forced adoption situation or why Covey’s mother left and never came back for her. I have an assumption as to why that may have occurred though.
It was also great to see all of Eleanor/Covey’s children reunited by the end of the book. While she wasn’t alive to witness the reunion it was nice to know one of her dying wishes had been fulfilled and all of her secrets had been revealed.
Overall, Black Cake was enjoyable minus the confusion and multiple characters. I think it helped me a lot reading this while listening to the audiobook. There are mixed reviews on this but don’t let that stop you from reading because you might actually enjoy it.
Covey was unconventional, resilient, and a true survivor. No matter what she’d been faced with she found a way to overcome it. Almost forced to marry someone she didn’t love and was to old for her anyway. With the help of a family friend she was able to escape and never look back. Taking on a new identity and finding a way to survive at such a young age without ever being discovered took a lot courage for Covey to do.
Not gonna lie I almost gave up on this book in the beginning because it was a slow start. There was a lot to take in with the multiple characters, different POV’s, endless chapters, and the timeline jumps. But once I realized what was actually happening and that Covey and Eleanor were the same person I was hooked. Now don’t get me wrong this story had a few ups and downs for me and I did have moments of confusion. But overall I enjoyed Black Cake once I got about 65% into it. Yup took that long to pull me in.
What I enjoyed most was getting the full backstory on the characters. I wasn’t left needing to know more or curious about what happened to either of them. The author did well laying it out for you so nothing was left unanswered for the most part.
Now I will say because there were sooooooo many topics and different characters discussed I felt the author could’ve went more in depth on certain things. Like the forced adoption situation or why Covey’s mother left and never came back for her. I have an assumption as to why that may have occurred though.
It was also great to see all of Eleanor/Covey’s children reunited by the end of the book. While she wasn’t alive to witness the reunion it was nice to know one of her dying wishes had been fulfilled and all of her secrets had been revealed.
Overall, Black Cake was enjoyable minus the confusion and multiple characters. I think it helped me a lot reading this while listening to the audiobook. There are mixed reviews on this but don’t let that stop you from reading because you might actually enjoy it.
What a way to tell a STOOOORY‼️‼️ I mean talk about well plotted. It was suspenseful, realistic, and pulsating. She laid out the foundation and followed through effortlessly. From start to finish I was engaged and filled with so many different emotions. You’ll understand why once you read it. The beginning had a slow start but there was a steady build up. So, the more I got into it the more I became overly invested with figuring out this murder. I literally enjoyed this book for what it was. I was left SATISFIED & ENTERTAINED‼️ I love when a book is truly a mystery and the ending isn’t predictable.
Crime reporter Jordan Manning, covering the story of missing 15-year-old Masey James was determined to uncover the truth. Attempting to help free those falsely accused and give a grieving mother closure. Jordan goes over her line of duty putting her own life at stake searching for answers.
What made this so realistic was the fact the story itself is something we’ve heard about so many times. The way law enforcement treats cases involving missing people of color. How African Americans are falsely accused and imprisoned for crimes the police have no evidence they committed. Or how when crimes are committed and family and friends know the truth. They choose to protect the criminal disregarding their wrongdoings. I love how it brought light to real life situations.
Overall, this was an outstanding novel by Tamron Hall. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in this series. I shouldn’t have to even say it but I RECOMMEND if you haven’t read it read or listen to it.
Crime reporter Jordan Manning, covering the story of missing 15-year-old Masey James was determined to uncover the truth. Attempting to help free those falsely accused and give a grieving mother closure. Jordan goes over her line of duty putting her own life at stake searching for answers.
What made this so realistic was the fact the story itself is something we’ve heard about so many times. The way law enforcement treats cases involving missing people of color. How African Americans are falsely accused and imprisoned for crimes the police have no evidence they committed. Or how when crimes are committed and family and friends know the truth. They choose to protect the criminal disregarding their wrongdoings. I love how it brought light to real life situations.
Overall, this was an outstanding novel by Tamron Hall. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in this series. I shouldn’t have to even say it but I RECOMMEND if you haven’t read it read or listen to it.
The town of Bayside plagued with racism and the town of Hamilton held in bondage out of fear. Train tracks separate them from each other but being stuck in their ways is what keeps them apart.
Capri Collins once afraid to chase her dreams out of fear of what her grandmother would think. Justin Collins her brother with his hopes high on leaving Hamilton behind allows a careless act to cost him his future. Zach Whitman new to Bayside set out to find something that felt more like home back in Philly. Finds himself stuck in a time wrap and a full-blown war between Hamilton and Bayside.
I enjoyed reading this novel while it was a slow build it ended so powerfully. The ending took a turn I wasn’t expecting. Justice being served isn’t something seen to often in these type of situations. But the author touched on multiple themes from self-discovery, teen pregnancy, racism, segregation, family dynamics, and following your dreams.
We see firsthand what it’s like when a person’s fears or beliefs are placed upon their children. It creates an endless cycle of the same behavior, beliefs, and fears. Neither town attempted to conform with one another because of past history fueled by hatred, pain, and race. Leaving those wishing for more caught in the midst.
Favorite Quote: “We desire control over what we can’t see.”
Side note: The way everyone kept referring to the train tracks reminded me of the movie Life. When they were told if they crossed the gun line they would be killed. To me the town of Hamilton symbolized the tracks the same way. If ever crossed it would result in a death sentence.
Overall, the novel was emotional, passionate, and impactful so I definitely recommend!!!!
Capri Collins once afraid to chase her dreams out of fear of what her grandmother would think. Justin Collins her brother with his hopes high on leaving Hamilton behind allows a careless act to cost him his future. Zach Whitman new to Bayside set out to find something that felt more like home back in Philly. Finds himself stuck in a time wrap and a full-blown war between Hamilton and Bayside.
I enjoyed reading this novel while it was a slow build it ended so powerfully. The ending took a turn I wasn’t expecting. Justice being served isn’t something seen to often in these type of situations. But the author touched on multiple themes from self-discovery, teen pregnancy, racism, segregation, family dynamics, and following your dreams.
We see firsthand what it’s like when a person’s fears or beliefs are placed upon their children. It creates an endless cycle of the same behavior, beliefs, and fears. Neither town attempted to conform with one another because of past history fueled by hatred, pain, and race. Leaving those wishing for more caught in the midst.
Favorite Quote: “We desire control over what we can’t see.”
Side note: The way everyone kept referring to the train tracks reminded me of the movie Life. When they were told if they crossed the gun line they would be killed. To me the town of Hamilton symbolized the tracks the same way. If ever crossed it would result in a death sentence.
Overall, the novel was emotional, passionate, and impactful so I definitely recommend!!!!
Special thanks to the author, publisher, & netgalley for my advanced readers copy.
This one left me a little speechless for a bunch of different reasons. Mainly the ending cause that was definitely a twist I wasn’t expecting‼️‼️ When I started reading the book I was already skeptical but it got kind of juicy.
We have 18-year-old Everly Martin who ends up pregnant and is unsure of who the father might be. This is when things got interesting to me. What lead up to the pregnancy was carelessness on her part. However, the fact Vaughn who was one of the potential baby daddies took advantage of her in a vulnerable situation pissed me off. I would’ve just lost my job that day‼️ He was coming off as aggressive, abusive, and disrespectful.
Then there was John a one night stand after sneaking into a club turned him into potential babydaddy #2. Only thing was John actually wanted the baby and was willing to take care of them both. Until a dark secret was revealed and ruined EVERYTHING literally‼️
Poor Nicholai was just caught in the middle of her little triangle. All in love with Everly tryna be Superman. Although she was dealing with A LOT he stuck beside her even when she pushed him away.
Her mother Mariah was the prime example of why keeping secrets from your children can do more harm than good.
The ending was a bit rushed which is why I gave it this rating. Overall it wasn’t that bad very fast paced and a quick read. It was just that dark secret being revealed that really got me. I still don’t know how I feel about that part.
Do I recommend? Eh, all I can say is read at your own will . . .
This one left me a little speechless for a bunch of different reasons. Mainly the ending cause that was definitely a twist I wasn’t expecting‼️‼️ When I started reading the book I was already skeptical but it got kind of juicy.
We have 18-year-old Everly Martin who ends up pregnant and is unsure of who the father might be. This is when things got interesting to me. What lead up to the pregnancy was carelessness on her part. However, the fact Vaughn who was one of the potential baby daddies took advantage of her in a vulnerable situation pissed me off. I would’ve just lost my job that day‼️ He was coming off as aggressive, abusive, and disrespectful.
Then there was John a one night stand after sneaking into a club turned him into potential babydaddy #2. Only thing was John actually wanted the baby and was willing to take care of them both. Until a dark secret was revealed and ruined EVERYTHING literally‼️
Poor Nicholai was just caught in the middle of her little triangle. All in love with Everly tryna be Superman. Although she was dealing with A LOT he stuck beside her even when she pushed him away.
Her mother Mariah was the prime example of why keeping secrets from your children can do more harm than good.
The ending was a bit rushed which is why I gave it this rating. Overall it wasn’t that bad very fast paced and a quick read. It was just that dark secret being revealed that really got me. I still don’t know how I feel about that part.
Do I recommend? Eh, all I can say is read at your own will . . .