Monday's Not Coming- Audiobook review
Happy May everyone! 👋
Today I'm going to talk about this whirlwind of a book that took me by a storm.
Strap in for one of my most impactful reads of 2020!
When I first found out about Monday's Not Coming, something inside me told me I would absolutely love it.
And that gut instinct turned out to be right; this book broke me.
So now I want to find a book that can do that all over again.
We're going to talk about cover design in the next paragraph, which is becoming one of my favourite things in the book publishing process. Feel free to skip for the book stuff:
Now, my instant attraction to the book is partly attributed to its cover. And let me just say that I believe Tiffany D. Jackson has the most gorgeous book covers in black American young adult fiction.
Case in point:
I had noted a consistency in the cover designs and message behind them, even when textures seemed to change- the photographic covers of the author's earlier published books gave way to illustrated designs for the most recent releases.
In a nutchell: Erin Fitzsimmons is indeed the designer behind these wonderful art, along with the contribution of other illustrators.
For more information, I urge you to check out the following cover reveal blog posts:
Um, why black fiction, you may ask?
Because I felt that the racial identity is integral to Jackson's storytelling.
Whether it was subtle or explicitly stated and whilst the themes of the novel could very much apply to other marginalised groups and situations, I truly felt that the own-voices representation shined through this book.
See what the author has to say about missing children, gentrification and mental health:
Ok, on to the actual review:
Sometimes the book just comes at the right time for the reader.
I was reading about Claudia, a young girl worrying about her friend who has unexpectedly vanished from her life, finding ways to express her creativity through colouring, since her learning disabilities and the fact that she was trying to keep it a secret from her family had taken a toll on her.
She is introverted, caring and feels like her voice cannot be heard.
I myself was listening to the audiobook while colouring and this little coincidence made me grow attached to Claudia.
I was so very intrigued by the fact that the narrator is somehow in the sidelines recounting her best friend's story.
I also noted that Claudia's was younger than I anticipated.
After watching a few author panels lately (attending virtual author events that I wouldn't have had the chance to otherwise is my way of finding hope during the pandemic nightmare), I realised that the age of young adult protagonists has somewhat increased lately.
Where you would most likely see a 14 or 15-year-old a few years ago, now 16 or 17 is the age one will most likely encounter in young adult fiction.
I suspect this might be attached to legal factors, but this fine line between middle grade and young adult was a surprising element and a virtual slap at the adversity one has to cope with despite their age.
Whilst the author's foreshadowing techniques were expertly placed, the plot twist was nothing short of chilling!
Finding out that this book has been based on real-life cases was so devastating and heart-wrenching, but made the story all the more palpable.
Not only did I research the book for the material it was based on, but for the first time in my life I listened to a true crime podcast episode that was related to one of the cases that inspired the author.
That is how this book imprinted onto my mind.
Find the related article here
No matter how much I appreciated this story, I employ you to pay attention to the content warnings in this novel, such as child abuse and potentially more, because I do find it possibly triggering.
Check out Sylwia's Goodreads review for more information on that (when it comes to trigger warnings, I trust her more than most).
The only thing keeping me from giving Monday a full 5-star rating is the timeline switches throughout the book, which made it a bit hard for me to concentrate, particularly while listening to the audiobook.
However, I did not see another unexpected turn coming at all, so perhaps the jumbled time lapses served a bigger purpose in this story.
🌟🌟🌟🌟★
Listen to the first chapter of Monday's Not Coming (thank you team EpicReads for providing material to bookworms all around the globe):
I now not only want to read all of Tiffany D Jackson's previous releases, but I also cannot wait for her upcoming release Grown:
I mean, look at this cover and tell me, am I wrong to be slightly obsessed? |
I have noticed that a murder mystery is always an instigator or end point in Jackson's stories and I am hugely interested in how this element is incorporated in young adult contemporary fiction.
And that's it from me, love! Till next time! 💋
Come chat with me in the comments:
- Have you read any books by Tiffany D. Jackson?
- What is your favourite book written by a poc (people of colour) author?
2 comments
You're right, those covers are gorgeous! This is such an in-depth review which I appreciate, and the book sounds amazing. Thank you for reviewing :D
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for taking the time to read it!
ReplyDeleteThis books resonated with me, which is why I was so passionate about the research behind this story!