By Any Means Necessary Review

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First of all, thanks to FFBC Tours and Page House Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own. Andddd thanks for the beautiful ARC 😍 Click the link for the schedule for this tour!

BOOK INFORMATION:

By Any Means Necessary by Candice Montgomery

Publisher: Page Street Kids

Release Date: October 8th 2019

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBT

Synopsis:

An honest reflection on cultural identify, class, and gentrification. Fans of Nic Stone and Elizabeth Acevedo will eagerly anticipate Torrey. 

On the day Torrey officially becomes a college freshman, he gets a call that might force him to drop out before he’s even made it through orientation: the bee farm his beloved uncle Miles left him after his tragic death is being foreclosed on. Torrey would love nothing more than to leave behind the family and neighborhood that’s bleeding him dry. But he still feels compelled to care for the project of his uncle’s heart. As the farm heads for auction, Torrey precariously balances choosing a major and texting Gabriel—the first boy he ever kissed—with the fight to stop his uncle’s legacy from being demolished. But as notice letters pile up and lawyers appear at his dorm, dividing himself between family and future becomes impossible unless he sacrifices a part of himself.

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My Review:

Ok, first of all- this book should be a must read because it provided such a unique point of view on white privilege, truths of the ‘hood’, and gentrification.

My Likes:

When I say unique, I mean UNIQUE. Terry’s voice is so present and it catches your attention immediately. And of course, you either love it or hate it. He breaks the fourth wall so many times that it’s actually funny!

But this book discussed so many important points. Terry kinda vehemently dislikes white people in general, but before you get all worked up, listen: he hates those who don’t acknowledge privilege and knowingly hurt POC with their actions.

Besides all the tough-tough-tough, I loved Emery (and the rest of CAKE)! Emery is definitely not a love interest, but she’s probably Terry’s closest friend depicted in the book. She’s so refreshing and honest and boss and honestly, I’m copying a bunch of Goodreads’ reviewers now, but this whole book was basically a tribute to black women. 

And I loved it!
Most of the characters were Black and Terry’s love interest is Afro-Latino, and I really found it interesting the way this book explored poverty and privilege. 

My Dislikes:

When I read this book, sometimes I felt… genuinely uncomfortable, and hear me out. I felt like I was intruding on something. There were so many amazing references to blackness and subtle digs on whites, and it made me feel… surprisingly content yet uncomfortable?? It felt like I did something wrong, or that I was intruding on something I shouldn’t be hearing or shouldn’t be part of the conversation for.

Or maybe that’s just because I’m not a huge fan of all the cursing haha. I’m not -squeaky- clean, but I don’t curse. So for my innocent mind, that’s a li’l bit oof.

Terry’s voice (like he was speaking to me) felt like he was almost accusing me of gentrification. I’m a POC, but I’m lucky enough to live with privilege, and at one point, when he literally said that he hated Black and brown people that didn’t care or sympathize with their brothers and sisters in the hood.

Ok, I was shook. I felt so bad and this is the epitome of privilege- I’m not white, yet I feel it too. We all have it, if we’re able to write on a laptop and send our writing out to the world.

Also, it made me uncomfortable because there was… a lot of cursing. A lot.

Terry’s bf, Gabriel, was also interesting, but I felt like something was missing?? I didn’t connect with the romance like I usually do, and I think it needed more angst and chemistry. 

Recommend or No?

YES YES YES, I RECOMMEND IT. It’s a delightful read, and it’s so important. 

Just… read it. I think it would be a huge eye-opener even if you already know your privilege, and even more if you’re skeptical.

4 BEAUTIFUL FEATHER-STARS ❤

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About The Author:

Candice “Cam” Montgomery is an LA transplant now living in the woods of Seattle, where she writes Young Adult novels. Her debut novel, HOME AND AWAY can be found online and in stores now, and her sophomore novel, BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY will be released October of 2019. By day, Cam writes about Black teens across all their intersections. By night, she bartends at a tiny place nestled inside one of Washington’s greenest trees. She is an avid Studio Ghibli fan and will make you watch at least one episode of Sailor Moon and listen to one Beyoncé record before she’ll call you “friend.”

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And, of course, a Rafflecopter giveaway!

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Have you heard of this author/ this book/ her previous novel, HOME AND AWAY? If you haven’t, would you consider reading it? And, for my mind to be put at ease, would you feel a bit uncomfortable too if you read some of this?

Have a wonderful day!