Well that was terrible.
But also not.
I have very mixed feelings.
Ugh.
More coherent review to come ... later. *goes to binge eat ice cream*

This book wasn’t perfect, and at a lot of points it was loud and bright and almost too much—and that’s one way I can be sure it’s most definitely worth reading. Jasmine and Chelsea could be a lot, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I’m very non confrontational, so a lot of these scenes had me squirming and covering my eyes, thinking, “Do they really have to talk about this, too? Can’t they just let it go?” But I’m starting to think that maybe we shouldn’t just let things slide. Maybe that’s why so many issues in the world have yet to change.

The writing was beautiful, though it did jump really far forward in time quite frequently, which made it tricky to follow. A really intense scene or convo would happen, but then the next chapter would be a month later and the scene is never addressed again. I also think Jasmine and Chelsea could be a bit selfish at times, but that’s likely because of their newness to activism and their ages. As some of the teachers told them (or maybe it was Leidy), if they do it for themselves, what are they really fighting for? And if they had slowed down a bit to examine their thoughts and motives, and other perspectives, some of the events might have been kinder. Then again, sometimes we need to drop the niceties and shout, and that’s really what this book was all about.

This book was wild. The whole story takes place in a single day—Election Day—and it never lets up. It’s a quick read and very cute, yet at the same time brutally honest and sincere and thought provoking. It released just last week, and the timing is impeccable for everything that’s been happening recently with the BLM movement, among other important groups. I loved how the characters actually talked about important things. I hate conflict, but they didn’t let unacceptable jokes and comments slide. They called each other put on judgements and comments like that, and talked about it respectfully. They were both so /good/ to each other and everyone else and just ... can the world have more books like this, please? I am for sure reading more of Brandy Colbert. She writes with raw and undiluted truth, and this is something the world needs more than ever.
Plus, there’s a cute cat, so there’s also that.