Review: American Street

American Street by Ibi Zoboi
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was debating between a 3 and 4 stars for this, but after seeing a few other reviews, I've settled on 3 stars.

What I liked: I really liked the characters and overall the situations felt really real for me. The way the characters talked felt authentic and their relationships with each other seemed realistic. I loved the main character and felt for her throughout the novel.

What I didn't like (or why I gave this 3 stars instead of 4): The biggest thing someone else pointed out that I agree with is that this book seems to normalize abuse. Dre's character and relationship with Donna felt realistic, but it seemed like the abuse was just accepted and maybe even romanticized some. That is never okay and dropped it at least a full star from me. I also felt like things were a little too magically resolved in the end, which I didn't like.

However, overall this was a decent book that many readers will enjoy. I'm glad I picked it up before going to this year's Battle of the Books!

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