Starfish: Book Review

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   For my week's book review, I will be talking about a book I found to be extremely enjoyable, Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman. When browsing through the Urbana public library I stumbled upon this simple book with a title I didn't quite get at the time (or more so the connection of the title to the story). I skimmed the summary on the back and reluctantly took the book with me. The summary made the book seem entertaining however I didn't have my expectations set incredibly high as I couldn't really see what made this book so special. A couple days passed and I realized the book was still sitting on my shelf, so I decided to at least give it a try before it had to be returned. I can't tell you how glad I am I did. I finished that book in one sitting and by the time it was over it was like I had just gotten off of an extreme rollercoaster ride of emotions. As an enjoyer of realistic fiction, pieces like this always catch my attention, however, very little if not none other realistic fiction books had made me feel this way in a long time. I won't focus too much on the plot and more so on my thoughts on the book as I truly recommend people read it for themselves. Although my life is extremely different from the main character Kiko, for those 3 hours I felt like I was in her life and felt her frustrations, fears, and accomplishments. I physically cried while reading this book due to how much of a connection I felt with the protagonist, the author truly has a way of pulling the reader in to such a point that they are the character themselves. Not only that but the way the book is crafted makes it an incredibly brilliant piece that anyone with a heart will appreciate. Some trigger warnings are toxic relationships, sexual and emotional abuse, and suicide attempts, so if those things affect you I don't think you should read this book. However, that being said I think this book really gives a new perspective on these topics and explains them in a very realistic and honest way. To conclude this was an extremely emotional piece that I highly recommend everyone reads.
-Fabi

Comments

  1. Larissa DolcosSeptember 22, 2021 at 7:48 AM

    I really enjoyed reading this book review, Fabi! You added a good twist to a regular review, as most of it is focused around your thoughts and emotions that came with reading Starfish. You did a great job at explaining the process that you went through to read this book and how you felt during and after. I will definitely be reading this book as soon as I can, and I think that it's great how you added the trigger warnings for some people!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ezra AkreshOctober 1, 2021 at 7:09 AM

    Great book review! I like how you explained how you found the book, and how you finished it in one sitting. I will definitely be adding this book to my reading list.

    ReplyDelete

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