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The Final Revival of Opal and Nev
The Final Revival of Opal and Nev | DAWNIE. WALTON
35 posts | 33 read | 6 to read
An idol of Afro-punk. A duo on the brink of stardom. A night that will define their story for ever. Opal is a fiercely independent young woman pushing against the grain in her style and attitude, Afro-punk before that term existed. Despite her unconventional looks, Opal believes she can be a star. So when the aspiring British singer/songwriter Neville Charles discovers her one night, she takes him up on his offer to make rock music together. In early seventies New York City, just as she's finding her niche as part of a flamboyant and funky creative scene, a rival band signed to her label brandishes a Confederate flag at a promotional concert. Opal's bold protest and the violence that ensues set off a chain of events that will not only change the lives of those she loves, but also be a deadly reminder that repercussions are always harsher for women, especially Black women, who dare to speak their truth. Decades later, as Opal considers a 2016 reunion with Nev, music journalist S. Sunny Shelton seizes the chance to curate an oral history about her idols. Sunny thought she knew most of the stories leading up to the cult duo's most politicized chapter, but as her interviews dig deeper, a nasty new allegation from an unexpected source threatens everything. Provocative and haunting, The Final Revival of Opal & Nev introduces a bold new name in contemporary fiction and a heroine the likes of which we've not seen in storytelling.
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lil1inblue
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Pickpick

At first I thought it might just be another Daisy Jones & the Six. But it ended up being so much more. There were definitely similarities, but this book definitely dives more fully into the history of the era in which it is set, and shines a light onto the sexism and racism of the time. The characters are well written and complex, and I appreciate that. No one is fully blameless, but no one is fully to blame.

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Stacked 📚 6mo
17 likes1 stack add1 comment
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mcctrish
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Pickpick

This is the PERFECT example of a book that while you are reading it, it sometimes feels like a slog - partly because the characters are slogging through shit, maybe a bit because you are ping ponging between all the characters while they weigh in on what‘s going on ( it‘s written in a semi epistolary style : journalist notes) but when some key events happen and it changes your perspective on certain characters, it‘s all HOLY SHIT!!! I ❤️ this book

mcctrish @Librarybelle thank you for picking this one ❤️❤️❤️ 1y
Librarybelle So glad you liked it! 1y
48 likes2 comments
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mcctrish
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I‘m going to see Mr Herbie Hancock at the Nice Jazz Festival in a week, this is such a good read

Librarybelle 😁 1y
35 likes1 comment
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BookishTrish
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Pickpick

An excellent engrossing reread

Bookzombie So cute! 1y
SaunteringVaguelyDownwards Fuzzy goslings! 1y
47 likes2 comments
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S3V3N
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Pickpick

I love the interview style novels. Especially when I have the audiobook. This was a good read. It touched on some societal problems. I thought it was executed well.

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S3V3N
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#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView
1. Cuddle Duds and big, fluffy socks.
2. Two. I‘m finishing one, but already started the other.

TheSpineView ❤️ Cuddle duds! Thanks for playing 2y
19 likes1 comment
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Bookbuyingaddict
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Mehso-so

Apart from the interview style of text this book had absolutely nothing in common with Daisy Jones and the six . It started well but by about 190 odd pages i just found it a drag , such a shame it could have been so so much better. There‘s no depth of romance or chemistry or sexual tension between Opal and nev, no depth or description to their music , so quite a disappointing read for me personally and abit of a slog.

Lesanne I felt the same way, found it tough to get through, honestly. 2y
TrishB I felt like that with this one- but I also felt like that with Daisy Jones 🤷‍♀️ 2y
28 likes2 comments
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Bookbuyingaddict
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Making my way through my January book bingo list ! Opal and Nev next #spinningaround #doublespin #januarybingo

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JGadz11
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Excited to start this one - would love your thoughts!

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Brooke_H
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Today‘s read

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mrp27
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#bookmoods

Last post and I‘m done catching up. I tried this #musicrelated audio book last summer but I dnf. I was hoping it would be like Daisy Jones which I loved on audio but this one did not hold my interest. Thinking about trying it again but in print this time.

Eggs ❤️ 🎸 📚 2y
27 likes1 comment
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Cazxxx
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Pickpick

First off everyone will compare this to Daisy Jones, the interview format and music subjects are the same but this was so much more in depth and deals with more serious topics. I‘m not a huge fan of the interview format and would rather have had the audiobook I think. Opal is such an engaging, larger than life character (made me think of Whitney Houston) and came to life on the page
Really enjoyed the story and the mystery. 👇🏻

Cazxxx The one thing that was missing for me is that I would have liked more of a flavour of their music style and this wasn‘t explained enough 3y
charl08 I'd put this down after a couple of chapters but you make me want to pick it up again. 3y
Cazxxx @charl08 I found it a bit slow in the beginning but it got better and better! 3y
35 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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Creadnorthey
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Pickpick

Like Daisy Jones and the Six, but with an added purpose on top of drugs, sex, and rock&roll. The BLM addition can feel heavy handed at points, but the systemic White hand has been guilty of this for years, decades, and centuries. Daisy J already has a Netflix series- my question: is there an Opal series in the making? It would be way more relevant.

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Amandajoy
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I have the house to myself all weekend. These are my plans, with the tagged book on audio. It‘s going to be lit 😂

Sapphire Sounds like a perfect weekend! 3y
janeycanuck I can‘t remember the last time I was this jealous of someone. Hope it was a great weekend! (edited) 3y
39 likes2 comments
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Cathyloves2read
Pickpick

I really enjoyed this book,I loved the 2 main characters. I felt Opal was the stronger of the 2.I kept trying to figure out who the author was portraying in real life.For Opal,it could have been Grace Jones or Tina Turner. Grace Jones had a sidekick named Dolph Lundgren.What did those of you who read it think?I found the format that the book was written in to be confusing at times.I didn‘t like the footnotes, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book

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Tonton
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Pickpick

Black diva and skinny white English songwriter team up;story of an ahead of the curve duo unveiled in oral history by the daughter of a key band member. Also shows you how old I am because I kept wanting to check what Ben Fong-Torres wrote about them! This story gets it right and true.

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mstie
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Pickpick

Reminded me of Daisy Jones and the Six, although the plot twists in The Final Revival of Opal and Nev are more interesting and sophisticated. I appreciated the character development and the exploration of race and gender against the punk rock and fashion background of the 70s.

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suvata
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Pickpick

The story of a fictional interracial rock duo from the 1970s: Opal is a Black proto Afro-punk singer from Detroit, and Nev is a goofy white British singer-songwriter. Opal and Nev become famous in 1971, when a riot occurs at one of their concerts during which their Black drummer is beaten to death by a white mob. The book is told in the form of a faux oral history that's being written by Sunny, the first Black editor-in-chief of a music magazine.

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Tiffiney
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Bailedbailed

40% in and I‘m just bored…my mind keeps wandering. Life is too short…DNF

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LisaLovesToRead
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Pickpick

A different kind of book, but compelling. It was pretty neat how Walton wove real events and figures into her story line of fictitious characters.

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Amandajoy
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I have ONE credit at Libro.fm to use & four books in my cart. I‘m trying to be good, so which one would you pick? Decision fatigue has got me just staring at the cart.

keys_on_fire The musician in me says Opal and Nev, but the synopsis and reviews have me pulling for Know My Name. Gonna add that one to my TBR! 3y
Hooked_on_books Know My Name is a wonderful book and Deacon King Kong is fabulous on audio, so I would pick one of those. 3y
MallenNC Know My Name was one of the best books I read last year. I vote for it. 3y
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Megabooks Of those four (all of which I‘ve at least partially listen to on audio) Know My Name is the only 5⭐️ 3y
JenReadsAlot Know my Name is really good. 3y
Amandajoy @keys_on_fire @Hooked_on_books @MallenNC @Megabooks @JenReadsAlot with that overwhelming majority, I will be getting Know My Name. 3y
33 likes6 comments
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katy4peas
Bailedbailed

Bailing. Interesting characters and format. Too slow going with lots of back and forth interviews between characters and where we are in the storyline. I know this is telling the story of how the characters meet up, but it is too slow going for me and not holding my interest. Meh.

Prairiegirl_reading I wish I would have seen the format before I ordered it. I think it would be better on audio. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 3y
52 likes1 comment
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ScientistSam
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Anyone else doing the McBride Sisters Black Girl Magic wine and bookclub? I'm excited!

Amandajoy How is the wine? 4y
ScientistSam @Amandajoy I haven't tried it yet but will let you know! 4y
DanaManiac Oh fun! I recently heard about this! 4y
ScientistSam @Amandajoy the Riesling was quite sweet - a nice wine if you like sweet Rieslings, though I prefer mine drier. The Merlot was very acidic on opening but I actually liked it more the second day after it had breathed. So, not my favorite wines, but it's very much a matter of personal taste and I would consider doing another book/wine box from them. 3y
ScientistSam @DanaManiac I love the concept! We will see what the book discussion is like. 3y
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Vansa
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#TheFinalRevivalofOpalNev #NetGalley
One of my main issues with Whiplash was how unrealistic it was about jazz,a collaborative art form.I love this book,it's a great read, but also this sums up what I feel about Whiplash-jazz requires hard work and practice,and the lead character turning up at a gig without practising with the rest of the band is ridiculous.

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Come-read-with-me
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Thanks for the #thoughtfulthursday prompt @MoonWitch94 ! 🤓 I should read outside but my comfy inside chair calls my name as soon as I pick up a book! 🤓I‘m not doing any challenges because right now life is challenging enough! Come and join the fun @readordierachel , @Branwen , and @StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego

MoonWitch94 Thanks for playing 💗📚💐😊🐣 4y
44 likes1 comment
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SamAnne
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KVanRead This is the inaugural selection for the McBride Sisters Wine and Book Club and they are doing an author event in May. https://www.mcbridesisters.com/Black-Girl-Magic-Book-Club-discard- 4y
KVanRead Great to hear it got a good review! 4y
45 likes2 comments
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Violetsunrise84
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This was a huge surprise. I was going to buy this book next week. #Bookmail is truly the best mail. I am in shock because I did not think that I would win this contest. #thefinalrevivalofopalandnev #dawniewalton

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cdcnmac
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Pickpick

This is the Best book I have read in 2021! The oral history format works wonderfully and the writing in this debut is outstanding. Readers of Daisy Jones and the Six might be expecting a copycat story and instead they may be pleasantly surprised as this is so much more. Each new clipping or interview weaves together the story Sadly, there is no real Opal, Nev or Sunny to follow on social media. Thanks for ARC #NetGalley Simon & Schuster

Nute Nice review! I love music! Stories about musicians (even fictional) are always intriguing! Can‘t wait to read this book!🙂 3y
cdcnmac @Nute I highly recommend this one and it has a number of Instagram sites devoted solely to this book. The story was so real you wanted to look people up online to get more! Did you also check out Daisy Jones and the six? I like this better but since you love music I think you would enjoy that also. 3y
Nute I purchased Daisy Jones and the Six immediately because I was into Taylor Jenkins Reid at the time. I haven‘t read it yet. I think that this book might appeal to me more as well. The funny thing is that I was actually going to pass it by until coming across your review today. 3y
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cdcnmac @Nute 🤓Which books do you recommend from TJR? I just connected that she wrote Malibu Rising and Seven Husbands… 3y
Nute Top three include the two that you have mentioned with Malibu Rising being her latest novel and Evidence of the Affair which is a tiny impactful short story. 3y
Nute Also enjoyed After, I Do and Forever, Interrupted. These are her debut novel and early work so she was developing. I think that readers always need to give that grace period to authors as they discover and then hone their talents. (edited) 3y
cdcnmac @Nute Thank you, I will add these to my TBR🤓. Great talking with you and looking forward to hearing your thoughts on Opal & Nev. 3y
Nute Enjoyed sharing some early Sunday morning time with you. Looking forward to our future conversations. Have a wonderful day! Happy reading!☺️ 3y
cdcnmac @Nute Me too! Enjoy the rest of the weekend!📚📚 3y
17 likes9 comments
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LeslieO
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Tagged book is my #BOTM pick this month. I‘m guessing there will be concerts. Accompanied by a photo of my favorite, annual, pre-pandemic, local concert. A Beatles cover band plays on the rooftop. #Concert #LitsySpringBreak

TheKidUpstairs What a fun tradition! Hopefully it is back next year! 4y
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Rachel.Rencher
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Had a reallyyy shit day at work today. Really sick of being told that hybrid learning is the same as face to face.

Anyway, I came home to my PD books and BotM in the mail. Yayyy.

Readergrrl Right on!! 12th grade ELA teacher here in a “concurrent” model. Holy crap! If we were making overtime, I‘d be a millionaire! Stay strong! Love Donalyn Miller and Penny Kittle! 4y
Readergrrl Pernille Ripp too! Love her blog! 4y
staci.reads Oh my gosh! I love all 3 of those professional books!! Those women were 3 of my gurus as an English teacher. If you haven't yet, check out Kelly Gallagher's Readicide and Kylene Beers's Disrupting Thinking! 4y
TheLudicReader I feel your pain. Kittle is awesome and I enjoyed the Miller, too. Have never heard of the other author. 4y
LeslieO I loved The Book Whisperer! I did a couple workshops with Donnalyn Miller in my librarian days, she‘s great. 4y
99 likes5 comments
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Megabooks
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I got some great mail yesterday: a card and bookmark from @BookNAround and my #botm! Thanks for remembering me, Kristen! 💜📚 #bookmail

AmyK1 I‘m about to start this book, which was my BOTM too 😁 4y
Megabooks @AmyK1 I‘m only a few pages in, but it‘s got a good hook! 4y
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Megabooks
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Starting fresh with these three fiction(!!) books in the AM. Night America!! 😴 (Happy Sunday everyone else! 💜) #thestorygraph

Cinfhen Never heard of this one ....I‘ll be awaiting your review on all 3 4y
Cinfhen I did read this one 4y
Megabooks @Cinfhen it‘s a short story collection suggested by my Amazon cart! 😂 so far, it‘s good - 1.5 stories in. 4y
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Cinfhen I love those suggestions 😂😂 4y
Megabooks @Cinfhen as far as BG, nothing in the first bit about veterinary medicine or animal shelters is very accurate. There‘s no way a shelter would keep a dog aggressive towards humans alive. It‘s not adoptable. Also there were a lot of other inaccuracies, such as pitties being more dangerous than small dogs. I‘ve been bitten twice by dogs under 25 lbs and never by a larger dog, especially a pittie. They‘re generally sweet right, @MicheleinPhilly ? ❤️ 4y
Megabooks @Cinfhen sometimes they‘re dead on 4y
Cinfhen I actually PANNED 4y
Megabooks @Cinfhen ughhh!! Don‘t tell me why. It‘s short and I want to know whether to donate it. 🤞🏻 I‘ll finish. 4y
Cinfhen I have a feeling you‘ll end up donating it 😜I also think you‘ll make it through to the end 😁 4y
MicheleinPhilly Ugh. That‘s such a lazy and inaccurate stereotype about pit bulls. Aggression is a result of so many factors and few if any of them have to do with the dog‘s breed. 😒 4y
90 likes10 comments
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Jemgirl2014
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Excited about these. Bought "The Vanishing Half" for my cousin. Hope she loves it as much as I did. ?

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Rachel.Rencher
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I got BotM to work! I realized that I ordered before I saw add-ons, but oh well. I'm super excited for this book. 😁

Annie1215 I picked this as my add on, I‘m excited for this one! 4y
Kammbia1 I just got an advance copy from NetGalley on this one. I'm currently reading Mama Day by Gloria Naylor but looking forward to reading The Final Revival of Opal and Nev after it. 4y
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Megabooks
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The app kept crashing and I got no confetti 😩, but this was my #botm choice this month. No add ons, which is weird. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I have a bit of fomo with Apothecary, but I still have my other account.

swishandflick I think I'm going with this and Apothecary! 4y
Come-read-with-me I‘ve heard great things about your BOTM 4y
MicheleinPhilly I think I‘m skipping again. 😕 4y
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Cinfhen Oh..... I totally forgot about #BOTM 🤦🏼‍♀️ 4y
Cinfhen So weird....I can‘t login !!!! 4y
Soubhiville That‘s the one I would have chosen too. 4y
Lissa00 I‘m really disappointed about the lack of add-ons:( 4y
Megabooks @swishandflick apothecary seems to be everywhere on my Instagram feed! 4y
Megabooks @Come-read-with-me fantastic!! I hadn‘t heard about it until it was a pick. 👍🏻 4y
Megabooks @MicheleinPhilly none of these sound like you, so I can see that. 4y
Megabooks @Cinfhen yeah, I haven‘t got a confirmation email. The site crashed last month too, so I hope my order went through 🤞🏻🤞🏻 I‘m going to call tomorrow if I don‘t get an email before then. 4y
Megabooks @Soubhiville it sounds like it will be good, and I like supporting debut authors. 4y
MicheleinPhilly I was leaning towards Opal & Nev but I‘m the only person in the world that didn‘t like Daisy Jones so I didn‘t want to chance it. I‘m bummed they didn‘t let me select an add-on so I can burn this credit. As soon as I do, I‘m likely cancelling. 4y
Reviewsbylola I didn‘t believe you last month, that you wouldn‘t use your second account. 😂 Now I totally believe you. I‘m strongly considering skipping this month. 4y
Megabooks @MicheleinPhilly I didn‘t like Daisy Jones either. (I gave it 2.5⭐️) But I liked the idea of it, so I‘m giving this author a shot. The Daisy characters were very one-dimensional (the band), but maybe these will hook me more. 4y
Megabooks @Reviewsbylola yeah. This isn‘t their strongest month. I think apothecary will be popular with all the buzz it has, but it just doesn‘t sound like me. 4y
Reviewsbylola I was not a fan of Daisy either. @MicheleinPhilly I vividly remember finishing it when I was at an AirBnB with my family in England and I left it on the bookshelf there instead of giving it to my sisters or mom—I told them trust me, you won‘t like it. 😂😂 4y
Reviewsbylola I immediately saw that comparison for O&N and thought PASS. @MicheleinPhilly 4y
Cinfhen Didn‘t like Daisy either @MicheleinPhilly @Reviewsbylola I left my copy in Florida, even Niki didn‘t want it 🤪I think O&N can be good but I‘m willing to wait and see others reviews & apothecary sounds like it has potential but it‘s not my typical genre so I‘m willing to wait for that one too. The others are hard pass for me....so I think I‘m gonna pass this month🤷🏼‍♀️ 4y
Megabooks @Cinfhen @Reviewsbylola @MicheleinPhilly 🙋🏻‍♀️ (raises hand) I shall be the Daisy-hater who takes one for the team and tries O&N! 🦸🏻‍♀️ 4y
Cinfhen I‘ll be eagerly awaiting your review 💜💜💜 4y
vivastory I feel like DJ&6 was a lot of slog for a little emotional pay off 4y
Megabooks @Cinfhen 👍🏻😘 4y
Megabooks @vivastory I thought the band characters were really one-dimensional. Karen, shut up about why you want to be single. We get it!! 4y
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