What's Mine and Yours
- Downloads：4797
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-03-02 04:11:58
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Naima Coster
- ISBN：1538702347
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Charisma D
，
The easiest 5 stars I could give to an amazingly and beautifully written book。 This book had multiple POVs and jumped timelines from between 1990s through present day 2020。 It also covered a lot in the books with the multiple characters， anywhere between: Miscarriage， abortion， adultery， racism， LGBTQIA+， drug abuse， bullying， anxiety and just plain old never being enough for your parents （that’s just some of it）。 I truly appreciated everything that was mentioned in this book and how it was writ The easiest 5 stars I could give to an amazingly and beautifully written book。 This book had multiple POVs and jumped timelines from between 1990s through present day 2020。 It also covered a lot in the books with the multiple characters， anywhere between: Miscarriage， abortion， adultery， racism， LGBTQIA+， drug abuse， bullying， anxiety and just plain old never being enough for your parents （that’s just some of it）。 I truly appreciated everything that was mentioned in this book and how it was written and tied into each characters story。 This book showed how messy life can get， and how your actions from the past can come and haunt you presently。 It also showed how life is too short and you can always make a change by starting with yourself。 It didn’t really focus on the school play how it made it seem in the synopsis， but this was okay for me because in the end， it still had an important part to play in the novel。 Coster is such a talented and exceptional writer her story had me at tears in the end。 Definitely pick this up if you’re looking for a story that is multi dimensional with semi diverse characters。 。。。more
Lesa Bowsher kapustka
，
Beautiful read！ What a shocking twist！
Morgan Marie
，
Thank you @grandcentralpub for this gifted copy in exchange for an honest review！ 📚💕（Publication date: 3/2/2021） “If there’s something I’ve learned in this country， it’s that your address decides everything” （pg。 14）。 Buy this book！！！！！ Read this book！！！！！ I am simply blown away by Naima Coster’s writing and her storytelling。 I went into this book thinking it would mostly be about the busing of students of color into predominantly white schools， but it was so much more。 This book deals with extr Thank you @grandcentralpub for this gifted copy in exchange for an honest review！ 📚💕（Publication date: 3/2/2021） “If there’s something I’ve learned in this country， it’s that your address decides everything” （pg。 14）。 Buy this book！！！！！ Read this book！！！！！ I am simply blown away by Naima Coster’s writing and her storytelling。 I went into this book thinking it would mostly be about the busing of students of color into predominantly white schools， but it was so much more。 This book deals with extremely relevant and important topics: racism， addiction， familial problems， socioeconomic status， violence， and relationships。I found all of the characters to be fully developed and multidimensional， and I do not know how Coster did it since there were so many characters！ The book went back and forth between different years and different characters， but they were seamlessly connected at the end。This book is gripping， heartbreaking， moving， and immensely complex。 I cannot recommend it enough！ Synopsis:A gripping novel about two young people living in North Carolina， and how their paths suddenly cross。。。 Noelle， a half-Latina young woman， lives on the west side of town with her difficult mother。 Gee， a Black young man， lives on the east side of town with his hardworking， yet damaged mother。 Noelle and Gee meet when Gee is one of the students selected to attend the predominantly white high school that Noelle attends。Noelle and Gee become good friends， despite both of their mothers’ disapproval。 Their relationship is deeply explored within the pages filled with difficult decisions and complex consequences。。。 。。。more
Lisa Keeffe
，
Loved this book！ Loved every flawed character through their ups and downs and through every life decision， right or wrong。 Beautiful writing and beautifully flawed characters。 So we’ll done i felt every emotion。 Five stars！！！
Addie BookCrazyBlogger
，
Two families。 Three decades。 Lives that intersect and will define each other’s futures， that will span across North Carolina， Atlanta， Los Angeles and Paris。 Jade and Gee are a young， single Black mother-anxious son， who have suffered the loss of her husband and his father。 Jade is in nursing school， trying to manage her grief and her love for her son。 Across town， Lacey May’s husband Robbie， who was good friends with Jade’s husband， has landed himself in jail after trying to steal a cop car whi Two families。 Three decades。 Lives that intersect and will define each other’s futures， that will span across North Carolina， Atlanta， Los Angeles and Paris。 Jade and Gee are a young， single Black mother-anxious son， who have suffered the loss of her husband and his father。 Jade is in nursing school， trying to manage her grief and her love for her son。 Across town， Lacey May’s husband Robbie， who was good friends with Jade’s husband， has landed himself in jail after trying to steal a cop car while high。 Desperate to pay the bills， Lacey May ends up doing whatever it takes to take care of her three girls。 When the local high school begins integrating Black children， decisions will cause create pathways into the future that will span a lifetime。 I always thought integration in schools happened in the 50’s with Brown vs。 Board of education。 I am woefully ignorant of the real story behind it。 The last school to be publicly integrated was in Mississippi-in 2017。 Considering our story starts in the ‘90’s， my white readers will be appalled at the racist， selfish bile that is spoken in this book。 Or maybe， if you grew up like I did， in a town where racism is the norm， you’ll see your neighbors， family members and in that small， dark part of you， you might recognize some of the arguments as ones you’ve had around your own dinner table。 Racism isn’t the only topic to be covered in this novel: drug addiction and class are also major topics， specifically how drug addiction in the lower class is seen as dirty， lowbrow， while addiction in the upper class simply looks like partying。 。。。more
Kari
，
This book was a win as it was truly an emotional piece for me。 It hits on the complexities caused by race， class， social structure and the norms of society that we all try to conform to but mainly POC。 It takes a look into the problems that are caused due to sex， addiction， mental health and gentrification。 The story told is rich in a multigenerational way， telling many stories of relationships， hardships and love。 It was beautifully heartbreaking both at the same time。
Erin J
，
I really enjoyed this novel！ Complex characters， familial guilt and obligations， coming of age， the complexities of marriage， racism， grief， love。。。 this book has it all and links it all together beautifully without feeling overwrought。
Geraldine （geraldinereads）
，
This book is about two families: Jade， Ray， Gee and Lacey Mae， Noelle， Margarita， and Diane。 I don't want to give away too much else because this is the type of book where it's better to go in not knowing anything else besides who the main characters are。I had some trouble getting into the story in the beginning because the timelines were hard to follow。 I was so close to DNFing this one， but I'm so glad I didn't！ If you're having a hard time， wait until you're about 25% into the book。 Things re This book is about two families: Jade， Ray， Gee and Lacey Mae， Noelle， Margarita， and Diane。 I don't want to give away too much else because this is the type of book where it's better to go in not knowing anything else besides who the main characters are。I had some trouble getting into the story in the beginning because the timelines were hard to follow。 I was so close to DNFing this one， but I'm so glad I didn't！ If you're having a hard time， wait until you're about 25% into the book。 Things really pick up around that point， and I couldn't put it down after that。 The end was wrapped up too quickly for me， but overall， it was a great read。I thought the story was going to cover the school integration more and I thought the story would mainly be about Gee and Noelle based on what I read in the synopsis。 We definitely see a lot of Lacey Mae and her three daughters as there are alternating chapters between the two families。 We do see both families' stories intertwining with one another throughout the book。I loved how this book covered so much。 It covered everything from race， gentrification， class， love， addiction， family， and interracial relationships。 I definitely think this book was worth the read and I recommend giving it a try！Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc！ 。。。more
Jaimie
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I didn't expect to like this book when I started reading it， but once I got into it I couldn't put it down。 Coster's story interweaves the struggles of two families and is well-written and engaging throughout， since her characters are realistic and her themes speak to the lives of everyday people。 On one side of the story are the Venturas， a trio of girls headed by mother Lacey May， whose lives are upended when their father reveals a mental health issue leading to drug problems and jailtime。 The I didn't expect to like this book when I started reading it， but once I got into it I couldn't put it down。 Coster's story interweaves the struggles of two families and is well-written and engaging throughout， since her characters are realistic and her themes speak to the lives of everyday people。 On one side of the story are the Venturas， a trio of girls headed by mother Lacey May， whose lives are upended when their father reveals a mental health issue leading to drug problems and jailtime。 The girls are a great set of characters， personifying the differing paths that family members can take to break the toxic molds and examples set my their parents。 On the other side we get the life of Gee， a young Black man whose step-father （and family rock） is unexpectedly murdered。 Gee and the Ventura girls' story intertwines during high school， when a change in the school districts rules pushes Gee into being able to attend their more prestigious high school that had previously been dominated by white students。 Being Canadian， the conflict around education privilege is a little bit lost on me （but I am aware of it）， but the story has strong themes which resonate with the lessening educational standards for non-white children in the US that I think people are becoming more aware of and in tune with。 As Gee and Noelle Ventura （in his grade） navigate their first year of integration， we see them face unexpected racism from parents and students， but ultimately they get through things。 This initial year may be the crux of the story， but the secondary storyline （though is it arguably secondary） shows them grown up and still dealing with family conflicts and expectations about their lives。 By the final pages， I felt like I had read an interesting story about some interesting lives， but overall I'm not sure if I really got much out of the book besides basic enjoyment and a reaffirmation of what I know about race relations， education， and ongoing family struggles。 。。。more
Nancy
，
3。5 stars， rounded down， because I don't think it deserves 4 （though a lot of other reviewers disagree with me）。 I love a good multi-generational novel， but the time jumps， large cast of characters， and some meandering plot points took away from the story。 There's one reveal at the very end that should have come earlier， or there needed to be more wrap-up。 The racial aspects are very well done but the teenage piece that the synopsis focuses on comes way too late in the book and should have been 3。5 stars， rounded down， because I don't think it deserves 4 （though a lot of other reviewers disagree with me）。 I love a good multi-generational novel， but the time jumps， large cast of characters， and some meandering plot points took away from the story。 There's one reveal at the very end that should have come earlier， or there needed to be more wrap-up。 The racial aspects are very well done but the teenage piece that the synopsis focuses on comes way too late in the book and should have been more of a focus。 Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy。 。。。more
Lilly Shewan
，
closer to a 3。75-4， not quite a 4。 i enjoyed this novel， but had some issues with the decisions on it’s focus and i much preferred the plot of the ‘present’ in 2018 than the past。 i thought that the last 40ish % felt rushed compared to the set up of the book， but I have to say， I really liked who the book ended with and how。 some of the characters felt nuanced and came off the page， others felt like their characteristics and mannerisms were only there to propel the plot forward - the downside to closer to a 3。75-4， not quite a 4。 i enjoyed this novel， but had some issues with the decisions on it’s focus and i much preferred the plot of the ‘present’ in 2018 than the past。 i thought that the last 40ish % felt rushed compared to the set up of the book， but I have to say， I really liked who the book ended with and how。 some of the characters felt nuanced and came off the page， others felt like their characteristics and mannerisms were only there to propel the plot forward - the downside to having so many people to cover in 1 book。 I expect this is going to be really popular in 2021， and it deserves all future praise。 perfect for those who like books like little fires everywhere and the mothers。 i did like it， but it wasn’t 4/5 star level for me。 thank you to grand central publishing & netgalley for my arc - out on 3/2/21！ 。。。more
Ronni Klein
，
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and Goodreads for the ARC。 I write this review with the knowledge that the final published copy may have changed since I read the ARC。I wanted to love this book， and I did like it， but it fell a bit short for me。 First， the big reveal at the end， I had figured out from early on in the book。 Secondly， the ending was very abrupt and I wanted a bit more。 I would have been happy to read another 20-30 pages to just get MORE closure from all of the characters。
Cathe Fein Olson
，
Slow， thoughtful book with characters that stayed in my mind even when not reading。 The book alternates between current day when Lacey Ann in the hospital with brain cancer wanting to see her children--and their childhood with difficult situations and choices to be made by both parents and children， especially during the integration of a high school in Piedmont North Carolina。
Katie B
，
There's so much going on in this novel that each reader has the potential to take away something different from the story。 Race， addiction， social class， and relationships are just some of the subjects the author tackles in this book。 It didn't take long for me to feel thoroughly engrossed in the characters' lives。 Highly recommend checking this one out if you enjoy multi-generational family dramas。Honestly， other than having a general idea of some of the topics explored in the story， you really There's so much going on in this novel that each reader has the potential to take away something different from the story。 Race， addiction， social class， and relationships are just some of the subjects the author tackles in this book。 It didn't take long for me to feel thoroughly engrossed in the characters' lives。 Highly recommend checking this one out if you enjoy multi-generational family dramas。Honestly， other than having a general idea of some of the topics explored in the story， you really don't need to know too much before diving right in。 To cover the basics though， the setting is Piedmont， North Carolina and takes place over the course of a few decades。 Some of the characters include Gee， a young Black male being raised by his mother， Jade， and Lacey May， a white woman raising her half-Latina daughters。The publisher synopsis mentions a school integration plot and while it certainly plays a key role， it is not the bulk of the story。 The author takes her time developing the characters， which is a good thing， before revealing how everything ties into one another。 I'm not saying the synopsis is misleading， but judging by a few other reviews， some of us readers were surprised it was pretty far along in the book before you even get to the school stuff。I did have a minor problem with the story as I feel Lacey May was not a fully developed character。 However， this is one of the reasons why I think this novel would make a great book club selection as there are so many things to discuss。 I might completely change my mind after hearing other readers' thoughts about the character。 Perhaps the groundwork was laid in subtle ways throughout the story as to some of her opinions。 If it was， it went completely went over my head and instead it seemed like it came out of left field。 But maybe that's more realistic as sometimes you are caught completely off-guard when learning someone's viewpoint。I am thankful I had the opportunity to read this one as I can't stop thinking about the characters。 I'm not sure if this is an unpopular opinion but I loved how one particular storyline was wrapped up as it felt true to life。 （Without giving anything away， it involved Noelle。）I won an advance copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway。 All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion。 。。。more
Traci at The Stacks
，
A family drama type story with intersecting characters over 30 years。 Overall very solid。 The book hooked me from the start （though I lost steam 60% in） and I was interested in most of the characters。 It’s a lot of people doing their best through life and dealing with things like addiction， grief， incarceration， fucked up family。 Very solid but didn’t quiet pull it off for me it got cliched and predictable by the end。 It’s a good book， easy and enjoyable to read， but it didn’t stick the landing。
Hannah
，
I went into What’s Mine and Yours not having any idea what to expect and this story went beyond what I could have imagined。 100 pages in and I already knew this was going to be a 5⭐️ book。 The first chapter…。 whoa。 From there it was clear that this was going to be a tough but incredible read。 I loved how the story slowly unraveled between the two timelines and all the characters were connected in many subtle and profound ways。 It is definitely a character driven slow burn， but still one that I d I went into What’s Mine and Yours not having any idea what to expect and this story went beyond what I could have imagined。 100 pages in and I already knew this was going to be a 5⭐️ book。 The first chapter…。 whoa。 From there it was clear that this was going to be a tough but incredible read。 I loved how the story slowly unraveled between the two timelines and all the characters were connected in many subtle and profound ways。 It is definitely a character driven slow burn， but still one that I didn’t want to put down。 It touches on a little of everything from gentrification to grief to racism to addiction。 The way that the book portrays racism and the dialogue around it gave me chills while I was reading。 I was angry at the characters and the school， but also angry that the events in the book are still a reality。 I liked that there wasn’t a perfect， clean ending， but one that felt authentic to the story。 I’m not going to give a synopsis because this one is best if you go in blind。 I highly recommend this to all readers， but those who like literary fiction will really enjoy this one！Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5Huge thank you to @grandcentralpub for the #gifted advance copy， this book comes out 3/2！ I think this one is going to get a ton of buzz when it comes out （for good reason！） and it would make an EXCELLENT book club book。 。。。more
Tess
，
WHAT'S MINE AND YOURS will quench your thirst for a multi-generational familial novel - I know it did mine！ I was not familiar with Naima Coster's writing before， but it is clear that she is on her way to stardom。 This novel is lyrical， sweeping， and full of family drama。 It is also about gentrification， race， and poverty in North Carolina。 The story starts with a gut punch as the father of one of our main characters dies from a gunshot in front of him， and this single act ripples through two de WHAT'S MINE AND YOURS will quench your thirst for a multi-generational familial novel - I know it did mine！ I was not familiar with Naima Coster's writing before， but it is clear that she is on her way to stardom。 This novel is lyrical， sweeping， and full of family drama。 It is also about gentrification， race， and poverty in North Carolina。 The story starts with a gut punch as the father of one of our main characters dies from a gunshot in front of him， and this single act ripples through two decades and two families。 I think I could have used a little more drama and plot， but I really loved delving deep into all of the many characters， and getting a taste of their lives and how they relate back to the other characters we already know。 The chapter on Margarita， a sister who is trying to make it as an influencer in LA， was a stand-out section in particular。 There is also a pretty great twist at the end， which I admit I did see coming and was obsessed trying to figure out if I was right or not。 As we move forward and back from 2002-2020， we get a full picture of this town and these families， and I think it will stay with me for a while。 Also， interesting to note， Coster ends the book specifically during February of 2020。 I wonder if books in the coming years will also do this to avoid the murky waters of stories set during COVID times！ 。。。more
Max Brodsky
，
Note， things may have changed since I received an advance reader's copy。 Well crafted by a gifted author。 The stories twisted and captured together compelling the narrative along。 The sawtooth timeline allowed for enough dissonance and balance between scenes。 The reveal at the end felt a bit telegraphed though it was enjoyable。 A fair deal of character foils and comparisons may have felt obvious at times。 Coster is a talented writer and I look forward to reading more of their work。 Note， things may have changed since I received an advance reader's copy。 Well crafted by a gifted author。 The stories twisted and captured together compelling the narrative along。 The sawtooth timeline allowed for enough dissonance and balance between scenes。 The reveal at the end felt a bit telegraphed though it was enjoyable。 A fair deal of character foils and comparisons may have felt obvious at times。 Coster is a talented writer and I look forward to reading more of their work。 。。。more
Kimmie Sanders
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 What's Mine and Yours is a journey about taking responsibility for your actions and going through family struggles。 The book is set in Piedmont， North Carolina between two families working through racism， family ties and other relationship issues。 Everything comes together in a fluent story that is beautiful written。 What's Mine and Yours is a journey about taking responsibility for your actions and going through family struggles。 The book is set in Piedmont， North Carolina between two families working through racism， family ties and other relationship issues。 Everything comes together in a fluent story that is beautiful written。 。。。more
Pat
，
I'd give this higher ratings if it didn't have so many time lines。 It ranges from 1992 - 2020， with 15 different dates。 I guess I'm more of a linear reader。 Or I don't mind if it's just two different dates。 This book was confusing for me at times。。 I pushed through it and right at the end something was revealed that blew my mind。 THEN all the pieces fit。 It is a good read， and one that I will think about for months to come。 The book centers around two families: Ray， Jade and Gee and the Ventura I'd give this higher ratings if it didn't have so many time lines。 It ranges from 1992 - 2020， with 15 different dates。 I guess I'm more of a linear reader。 Or I don't mind if it's just two different dates。 This book was confusing for me at times。。 I pushed through it and right at the end something was revealed that blew my mind。 THEN all the pieces fit。 It is a good read， and one that I will think about for months to come。 The book centers around two families: Ray， Jade and Gee and the Ventura family - Robbie， Lacey Mae and their three daughters。 A tragedy happens right in the beginning， and the story is how these two families intertwine。 。。。more
Kathleen
，
My review for the Minneapolis Star Tribune: https://www。startribune。com/review-wh。。。It's a truism that any writer who has survived their childhood has enough material to last for the rest of their days。 In her latest novel， "What's Mine and Yours，" Naima Coster explores how the incidents of anyone's childhood stand both to propel and to bind them for the remainder of their lives， the consequences of early happenstances， griefs and betrayals kicking off a course that perhaps no individual can ful My review for the Minneapolis Star Tribune: https://www。startribune。com/review-wh。。。It's a truism that any writer who has survived their childhood has enough material to last for the rest of their days。 In her latest novel， "What's Mine and Yours，" Naima Coster explores how the incidents of anyone's childhood stand both to propel and to bind them for the remainder of their lives， the consequences of early happenstances， griefs and betrayals kicking off a course that perhaps no individual can fully evade。In 2020， the National Book Foundation honored Coster as one of their 5 Under 35， and her debut novel， "Halsey Street，" about gentrification in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn， was a finalist for the 2018 Kirkus Prize for fiction。Here， in her elaborately constructed， multifamily saga of a second novel， Coster examines similar questions of erasure and inclusion， as well as how race and class impact every aspect of her characters' lives。 Primarily set in a town known only as "a city in the Piedmont of North Carolina，" the book's many plot lines radiate around an integration plan that brings students from the predominantly Black east side into the high school of the mostly white west。"The town had been largely split this way，" she writes， "white and Black， then white and not white， for as long as Lacey could remember，" capturing how segregation and inequality in so many towns throughout America get accepted without question until citizens are forced， eventually， to confront them。At the center of the story are Gee， a sensitive Black boy whose beloved about-to-be-stepfather， Ray， is murdered before his eyes when he's only 6 years old， and Noelle， a half-white， half-Latina girl， "bright as a lamp，" whose Colombian father， Robbie， spends much of her and her two sisters' childhoods in prison due to drug addiction。 Gee's mother， Jade， a nurse， is fiercely driven by both anger and "terror， for her son， the world she'd never be able to shield him from。"Meanwhile， Noelle's mother， Lacey May， is determined to deny her children's mixed-race heritage， pushing her lightest-skinned daughter to pass as white and going so far as to protest the integration with demonstrations and hateful signs。Noelle concocts a scheme to put on Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure" to unify the disparate groups of high schoolers and to provoke and resist the so-called "concerned" parents。She persuades a reluctant Gee to participate and from then on， both students and their families collide in ways large and small。The book's rangy unfolding takes place from the early 1990s to the present day and hopscotches back and forth from the suburbs of Atlanta to Paris to Los Angeles to the small Southern city of Noelle and Gee's youth。 The point of view rotates from one character to another， allowing Coster to depict their complex situations and moral ambiguities with depth and compassion。Weaving numerous plot threads — miscarriages， abortions， divorces， brain tumors， benders — into an intricate tapestry， Coster shows， as one of her indelible minor characters declares， that "It's only our life if we say so。 Otherwise it belongs to them。" 。。。more
Kayla Gillen
，
I loved this book; the last thirty pages were a heartbreaking but perfect way to tie the stories together。 I wish it ended the way I wanted， but I knew i couldn’t have my way for the story to hold the meaning that it did。 totally recommend。
Cody | CodysBookshelf
，
Oh， I wanted to like this。 Giving it such a low rating pains me。 Recommended for fans of Ask Again， Yes and A Good Neighborhood—books I love， both—this is a multi-generational contemporary story that covers race and racism， family， love， class， consequences。 I have to be honest: this book is a structural mess。 The synopsis makes a point of the local high school opening up to poorer students from the “wrong side of the tracks” so to speak， but this plot-point doesn’t come into play until the 33% Oh， I wanted to like this。 Giving it such a low rating pains me。 Recommended for fans of Ask Again， Yes and A Good Neighborhood—books I love， both—this is a multi-generational contemporary story that covers race and racism， family， love， class， consequences。 I have to be honest: this book is a structural mess。 The synopsis makes a point of the local high school opening up to poorer students from the “wrong side of the tracks” so to speak， but this plot-point doesn’t come into play until the 33% mark。 A THIRD of the way。 That third is spent messily setting up these characters’ （oh-so many characters， too） predicaments and dramas in a few different eras。 Most of the characters don’t even interact with each other until the 70% mark。 Seriously。 Most of this book feels like unrelated， inconsequential side-stories featuring characters I simply never grew to care about。 Aside from Gee: I cared about Gee。 We meet him in the first chapter， as a child， and it’s damn unfortunate he’s not given more time to shine。 Instead the reader is treated to the nearly insufferable woes of Lisa-May and her daughters， all of them pretty damn unlikable and certainly not sympathetic。 Gee is the only reason this book is getting 2 stars from me， instead of 1。 I almost feel like this book tries to do too much， and it’s just not long enough （not that I’d want it to be any longer: God no！） We get the scant story promised in the synopsis， the school letting in poor and （mostly） latinx students， and the tensions that causes， but there are also affairs， and a character trying to make it in Hollywood， and another character concealing her lesbian relationship， and another character fighting cancer。 Etc。 None of it ever comes together in any cohesive way。 This book is getting fantastic reviews， and I’m sure it’ll be quite popular upon its release。 I usually love books like this， but this one just didn’t hit the mark。 At all。 They can’t all be winners， but this didn’t come close。 Alas。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this early。 。。。more
Michelle
，
My review is based on an ARC。 The murder of a baker named Ray named Ray has lasting emotional impact on two families。 The novel starts on the day the Blackman is killed on the east side of Piedmont， North Carolina。 He spends the morning baking with his girlfriend's tactiturn son， working besides his old friend Linette， and taking a breaking with his immigrant friend Robbie Ventura。 His girlfriend Jade was hard hit， but not as much as her son Gee and Robbie。 Robbie descends into a drug addiction My review is based on an ARC。 The murder of a baker named Ray named Ray has lasting emotional impact on two families。 The novel starts on the day the Blackman is killed on the east side of Piedmont， North Carolina。 He spends the morning baking with his girlfriend's tactiturn son， working besides his old friend Linette， and taking a breaking with his immigrant friend Robbie Ventura。 His girlfriend Jade was hard hit， but not as much as her son Gee and Robbie。 Robbie descends into a drug addiction that leads to prison time and leads to the end of his marriage to Lacey Mae and a fracture in his relationship with his three daughters。The book jumps around in time between Gee and Robbie's daughter Noelle in high school together in 2002 and in 2018 when Robbie's wife Lacey May has cancer。 The main narrative thrust of the past events and how they affect now。 Lacey May is against the integration of the poorer high school students in 2002， but her daughter Noelle is against it and she begins working on a play with Gee。 In 2018， Noelle's marriage is falling apart， her sister Diane is hiding her lesbian relationship in plain view， and Margarita's instagrammable life as an actress in LA is all lies。 The sister gather at their mother's bedside， but their family is bitter and fractured， and no one can find Robbie。 The family drama and relationships between all the characters are fascinating。 It's interesting to see a character like Lacey Mae， who is white with Latina daughters of various shades and racist to the Black kids at the school。 It's a very New South character you do see much of。 The male characters are interesting but underdeveloped compared to the women with the exception of Noelle's husband Nelson。 （view spoiler）[ The fact that Nelson is adult Gee wasn't as big a revelation after you read the chapter from Nelson's perspective as a photographer and see all the parallels to teenaged Gee's behavior。 （hide spoiler）] Motherhood and family is a big theme of this book， so I had a bit of difficulty relating to it compared to how in a family everyone plays the same roles no matter their age。 It really is a solid novel。。 。。。more
Shana
，
***Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review***This multigenerational story looks at complicated family relationships， loss， race， and so much more。 When I read the description， it seemed as if the story was going to revolve mainly around the conflict that arises around the integration of a North Carolina high school， but that isn't the main event。 It explains some of the connections between the various viewpoints。 I do think the author was overly ambitious in how many ch ***Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review***This multigenerational story looks at complicated family relationships， loss， race， and so much more。 When I read the description， it seemed as if the story was going to revolve mainly around the conflict that arises around the integration of a North Carolina high school， but that isn't the main event。 It explains some of the connections between the various viewpoints。 I do think the author was overly ambitious in how many characters' perspectives she wrote from， and that left a few of them coming across emptier than others。 I wonder if that was purposeful and if there was a reason for that。 I left me wondering if I had missed something crucial， or if perhaps I was supposed to fill in the blank with my own imagination。 In any case， it was a good read even if it wasn't my all-time favorite。 。。。more
Leasa Mcintosh
，
Very well written。 This book wrapped up nicely without being sappy。
Cass
，
Okay， was lucky to win an ARC of this from Goodreads， and this is another that I am just so excited for people to read。 This book is about so many things， including but not limited to: race， gender， class， generational trauma， family， mothers， love， hate， and coming home。 I think that this is one of those books that you just have to sit with for a bit beause there is so much happening - much of which comes together at the very end - but this was beautifully written， heartbreaking from the very f Okay， was lucky to win an ARC of this from Goodreads， and this is another that I am just so excited for people to read。 This book is about so many things， including but not limited to: race， gender， class， generational trauma， family， mothers， love， hate， and coming home。 I think that this is one of those books that you just have to sit with for a bit beause there is so much happening - much of which comes together at the very end - but this was beautifully written， heartbreaking from the very first chapter， and one that I would recommend everyone pick up when it comes out！ 。。。more
Staci Chynoweth
，
What’s Mine and Yours is an all-encompassing novel that moves through the years and follows the lives of a diverse cast of characters。 It took a few chapters for me to understand the time jumps and learn the different characters， but I’m so glad I stuck it out because this story was amazing！Set in the Piedmont area of North Carolina， we follow two generations of families from the 90s to present day。 Lacey is raising her three children on her own， Noelle， Margarita， and Diane after her husband en What’s Mine and Yours is an all-encompassing novel that moves through the years and follows the lives of a diverse cast of characters。 It took a few chapters for me to understand the time jumps and learn the different characters， but I’m so glad I stuck it out because this story was amazing！Set in the Piedmont area of North Carolina， we follow two generations of families from the 90s to present day。 Lacey is raising her three children on her own， Noelle， Margarita， and Diane after her husband ends up in jail。 And while her daughters are half-latina， Lacey would rather believe they didn’t inherit anything from their father。 Jade is a single mother to Gee and after a tragic personal loss， she is determined to give her son everything he needs to be a successful black man。 Lacey and Jade collide when the predominantly white high schools on the west start accepting students from the largely black east side of town。 Parents from the high school where Lacey’s daughter Noelle goes are outraged and they are determined to keep their school how it used to be。 Jade only wants what is best for Gee and is determined to make sure the other parents don’t get their way。 Gee and Noelle start to bond while rehearsing for the school play which leads to some messy family relationships。 In the future chapters， we follow Noelle and her sisters living on their own until they must return home to tend to a sick family member。I loved this story so much and it brings up a lot of important conversations around race， class， and sex。 When the mostly white school started accepting kids from the other side of town， many of the white parents were complaining of crime and how it wasn’t fair for their kids to have their futures taken away by the black kids。 This is an argument I’ve heard from white people in my real life when they talk about affirmative action and getting into college （when in fact affirmative action has benefited white women the most）。 There is also subtle commentary about the stigma of abortion and immigration which I enjoyed。 I loved all the characters because they felt real。 They had flaws and they made mistakes， but that’s what made this story so interesting。 I would recommend this book for fans of Brit Bennett or Kiley Reid。 Thanks Grand Central Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to review early in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more
Danielle
，