Little Ghetto Girl by Danielle Santiago
Hardcover pgs 197
06/19/2011
rating: 3stars
from back of book:
After a successful life in the drug game, twenty-one-year-old Kisa Kane plans to retire - settle down, find a good man and raise a family of her own. Done with the thug life , she has everything a ghetto girl would want: plenty of money, drop-dead-gorgeous looks, and two thriving legitimate businesses. Until she falls in love with Sincere Montega, a powerful drug dealer whose down-and-dirty money pulls Kisa back into the world she is trying so hard to leave behind. With lies, cheating, and conflict, Kai, their newborn, may be the only reason for this couple to stay together, but their lives are ineviably changed in the most unexpected way the only way the streets of Harlem can.
My Review:
I have said it before, I will say it now, and I will say it again. What is with all the brand name dropping in urban/street fiction, hell name dropping period? It is so not necessary for a good story. The characters are always ghetto beauties. Will anyone break the forumla? I am in search for it. Anyway on to the review. Good looking girl meets good looking guy. Both are involved in the streets. They love, they fight, they have beef with others, and in the end they have a happy ending.
What did stand out for me in this story is the jealousy of Kisa's sister Shea (same father different mother). Shea is as grimy as a sibling can get. All and all this is a good urban/street fiction story. I did not like the writing style of the story though. Kisa said. Sincere said. And it jumped forward too much. Also the sex scene where not written out which is actually a change for this genre. I missed the explict sex scenes. I rated this 3 stars because there were points when I was really interested in what was going to happen next. TBR list #4 really there's no rush.
Challenges:
Off the Shelf Challenge
What's in a Name 4
2011 Where Are You Reading
That's my problem with this genre!! It's like it takes the personality of a crappy hip-hop song instead of the old school dope ones where they told stories without name dropping and stuff.
ReplyDeleteI've been dying to read another good Urban Fiction novel but nothing can compare to Coldest Winter Ever for me! And I read that 10 years ago!!
Great review :)
xo,
Lah @ LazyGirl Reads
Yes Cold Winter Ever was a great story. Most now stay to the formula. It like a soap opera in book format. I don't mind it but I which there was a bit more substance. I do like the Bentley Manor trilogy. It still sticks to the script but has enough twist, turns and drama to keep you interested.
ReplyDeleteHi Im the author of this book, which was written more than ten years ago when I was 21 years old. Everyone complains about labor dropping in Urban fiction but if you check out some of the top white writers they drop labels too! At the age of 21 when I wrote that book a lot of those labels was what i was wearing and it was apart of my world. I must admit I scaled back on the designer name dropping because so many new books began going overboard with it. Also my book wasn't part of any formula. When I wrote LGG I had only ever read True to the Game. People pick up this book and think that it is new and follows others in the Genre, when in fact it is one of the originals.
ReplyDeleteDS