e-Audio, 09:51:41
Narrated by: Henriette Zoutomou
Release Date: May 2, 2023
Published by: Hachette Audio
Read from: May 4-5, 2023
Stand-alone
Source: Library’s Libby
TW: Racism, Gaslighting, Grief, Slavery Mention, Cancer, Death of a Parent, Eating Disorder (Not MC)
For Readers Interested In: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age Stories, Romance, Racial/Ethnic Diversity, YAThis sharp-witted, timely novel explores cancel culture, anger, and grief, and challenges the romanticization of America’s racist past with humor and heart—for readers of Dear Martin by Nic Stone and Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson.
Harriet Douglass lives with her historian father on an old plantation in Louisiana, which they’ve transformed into one of the South’s few enslaved people’s museums. Together, while grieving the recent loss of Harriet’s mother, they run tours that help keep the memory of the past alive.
Harriet’s world is turned upside down by the arrival of mother and daughter Claudia and Layla Hartwell—who plan to turn the property next door into a wedding venue, and host the offensively antebellum-themed wedding of two Hollywood stars.
Harriet’s fully prepared to hate Layla Hartwell, but it seems that Layla might not be so bad after all—unlike many people, this California influencer is actually interested in Harriet’s point of view. Harriet’s sure she can change the hearts of Layla and her mother, but she underestimates the scale of the challenge…and when her school announces that prom will be held on the plantation, Harriet’s just about had it with this whole racist timeline! Overwhelmed by grief and anger, it’s fair to say she snaps.
Can Harriet use the power of social media to cancel the celebrity wedding and the plantation prom? Will she accept that she’s falling in love with her childhood best friend, who’s unexpectedly returned after years away? Can she deal with the frustrating reality that Americans seem to live in two completely different countries? And through it all, can she and Layla build a bridge between them?
*MY THOUGHTS*
As soon as I heard the title of this book I knew I needed to read this. It’s not very often that I can get anyone in my real life to me when I talk about this. They usually feel uncomfortable or feel like they don’t understand what else tbey can do. So I’m glad this book exists now. It will help explain all of that.
When i say people get uncomfortable or they don’t understand what I mean when I say this, it’s because it’s true. I’m glad this book explains things like respectability politics and showed how things are continuously changing and ways social media can play a big part in these kinds of things. It’s just funny that my generation sits in the middle here and sees both sides of this equation. I’m happy that it’s continuously being passed down so that these teens will also know. Hopefully they’ll keep doing it too.
The writing style in this was interesting. i’ve never actually read an entire McWilliams book so I thought I was going to DNF this one too, but I think I finally found a winner. This one actually worked for me because of the characters. I really understood Harriet and I wanted other people to understand her too. And the new girl, I wanted Harriet to give her a chance, but to still remember who she was. That was important. And I’m glad she didn’t forget and didn’t let her forget either. The one thing I didn’t like was the romance. I thought it was unnecessary and didn’t really need to be in there. I think it still would have had the same effect had it been just a friend.
The plot left a little to be desired tho. But that was expected with a name like this. However, I did think it was a bit slow. But that’s mainly because what all can you do with a title like this besides protests? And that’s exactly what’s in this book. Not that I don’t like protests, it’s just a whole book about fighting biggots, I know she was tired because I was.
Don’t get it twisted, there is still some unexpected emotion in this one. The grief from her mother dying, having to navigate all of this happening, along with trying to find out what happened to her mom. it was just a lot for anyone. I didn’t cry in this one, but it was enough for me to clutch my pearls. I felt for her and I remembering just wanting more for her.
I didn’t like the way they did social media in this tho. They made it seem like Harriet had no idea what social media was and how it worked. And I get that it might work for a new app, but the way she wrote it, it didn’t give that impression. Idk, I just don’t believe teens don’t know how to work established apps, even if they don’t have one.
This book was a little different than the ones I usually read, but it wasn’t a bad different. Just different. I kind of wanted more focus on the prom and not holding it at the plantation, but there was so much more going on. Not that it was bad, just wasn’t what I was expecting. I don’t know how else to say it without spoiling anything. Just read it and let me know what you think!
Overall, I give this