3.5 Stars rounded up for engaging characters. An examination of what family truly means, through the lens of anger, guilt, and ultimately, forgiveness.

"So I fill my lungs with air, let go all at once, and wish for everything."

I loved this book. I loved how we were able to see the story from so many different aspects, which unfolded the story in such a beautiful way. Each new perspective changed my thoughts on either a character or the story, in one way or another. It was like reverse storytelling, since we didn't know what truly happened that night, until the last few chapters.

Lloyd did an amazing job writing about such a tough & sensitive topic. Very excited to read more from this author.

This was a ok book. I wasn’t drawn in the way I wanted to be. I didn’t feel like I could just relate to the characters and the writing was all over the place and too mundane for my Taste

My Name is Venus Black is provoking but with a heavy dose of melancholy. You feel empathy for all the characters, especially Venus, but not pity. She (and they) are too strong for that. It is a realistic story that captures all the characters simply, but beautifully.
When Leo is found it does veer to the sappy and the narrative feels forced. Also, milk carton Tony's caper and the big plan is predictable. The lack of followup with the cast of characters to include the Herreras feels like a missing puzzle piece since their connection to Leo was so compelling.
The love between Venus and Danny and Venus and Poper is heartwarming but again becomes too saccharine in the end, tainting the beauty and strength of their connection. The epilogue feels like a tack on that was not needed. My Name is Venus Black has a strong beginning. Acts one and two are fresh and compelling, but the third is predictable and sappy. Still a worthwhile read by any measure.

Venus Black may be one of my favorite characters of all time. I can't even begin to do justice to this story in the space of a review. It's raw and beautiful and complicated and heartbreaking with everything in-between. The writing is spot on, and the entire work is a master class in character study. I hope you all read it and love it as much as I do.

What a great book. Definitely earns a full 5 stars. I was hooked from the first few pages. Kudos to Heather Lloyd for the writing of the story and characters. The characters are written so well, with a lot of depth, emotion, and a sense of strength that keeps the story moving along quickly. Although we know Venus has committed a grave crime, we don't know the details of the crime itself until near the end. At first, this bothered me but I realized that we had to follow along with her journey as she learns to deal with, accept, and understand her actions, as well learn to forgive herself and her mother Inez. You can sense the struggle that plagues Leo daily, the guilt that eats at Inez, the shame that haunts Venus and the strength that pushes her to start over. This book is driven by emotion. Guilt, love, shame, forgiveness - things everyone feels at one point or another and at different levels. The overall story keeps a good pace, filling in all necessary information, describing feelings, actions, and thoughts in such a heartbreaking and loving way. At times I wasn't sure who I was rooting for, who I thought were the "bad guys" between Inez/Venus and Tessa/Tony.

I do wish there wasn't such a huge gap between the time Venus went to prison to the time she got out. I would have liked that space to be filled with Inez's point of view and how she was dealing with what happened. How was she coping with Venus in prison and Leo missing? How did she move on from that? Did she continue to actively search for Leo? Other than that, I absolutely loved this book and hope everyone gets a chance to read it.

sorry i didn't even get the time to download this book before it got archived ! Hence wasn't able to read and review it!

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Venus Black. While technically the book has seven parts, there’s two time periods. The first is February 1980, when 14-year-old Venus gets arrested. Then in part three we jump to February 1986, when Venus is released.

Ms. Lloyd jumps right into the story: Venus has been arrested. She’s 14, and doesn’t deny that she did it. But as she thinks of the years that lead up to that night, she wonders, “What if I never had a choice?”

While learning about Venus’ life (both pre- and post-custody) was interesting, I really enjoyed when the book made the time jump and Venus was released. Could she start her life over now that she had paid her debt to society? Would she ever learn the truth of what happened to her little brother Leo? I also loved that the story was set in the 1980’s.

Ms. Lloyd did a wonderful job bringing Venus Black to life from the page and telling her story. It was powerful and a page turner. I didn’t know exactly what I was getting into, and I really enjoyed it.

I rebutted this book but it wasn't anything spectacular for me. The characters were likable and the story was okay, but it didn't reach inside quite like I was reflecting from the blurb.

My Name is Venus Black is a fast-paced read that absolutely took my breath away. The plot had me racing through the story, wanting to discover more and more about the main character. Heather Lloyd's writing style was unique and witty, while delivering the grit that this story needs. I highly recommend this book.

I liked this!! It was so different that typical YA. Venus is a character who has definitely been through a ton, and I loved reading her story.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My Name is Venus Black sucks the reader in like a whirlwind. It is 1980 and Venus is a straight A student who wants to be the first female in space. One night when she is 13 she commits an unnameable crime and is sent to jail and through a series of court hearings to determine her future. A few days later, her younger brother Leo goes missing. Leo is developmentally challenged, somewhere on the autism spectrum, and Venus worries about how he will survive out in the world. She had been his anchor and now both are alone. She is angry with her mother, Inez, who did not protect her from her stepfather. Venus is also angry at Inez for not protecting Leo.

Years later when she is 19, Venus is released from Juvie. Although she is determined to find Leo, she is also determined to take on a new identity and find a job. She doesn’t want to be recognized as the girl who went to prison, though the press is hot on her heels from the moment she walks out of Juvie. She rents a room in a house with a man and his niece who’s parents have died. Piper is a demanding young girl, awkward and forthright, but Venus empathizes with her and they become close.

During these past years, Leo’s life stays in our vision. After being kidnapped by his uncle he has been left with a young girl, Tessa, who reminds the reader of Venus who is so much like Venus in her care and feelings for Leo. While Venus wants to stay hidden, it becomes clear that only by facing her past can she work through it and help all those around her.

For some this book may be overly sentimental, but I thought it walked the line quite well.

There are so many things that fail for me in this book.
First is all of the POV changes that just appear out of nowhere. There are about 4 POV's through the whole book and they are not separated to really distinguish until you are reading.
You don't know why Venus ends up in jail until right at the end.
No realistic. Not really attention grabbing.
Received this book as an ARC for my honest feedback.

I loved my time with Venus Black. Her absolute resilience was inspiring. The characters in this book were all so easy to fall in love with and root for. This is definitely a read alike for Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. I loved the character of Venus and could not wait to get to her resolution in hopes for a happy ending for her.

This book seemed a bit disjointed in its plot and I found myself unable to care about any of the characters. The likelihood of Leo being stolen by his estranged uncle was far-fetched at best, and the lack of buildup to explain what happened the day of the murder made me think early on that there would never be an explanation. I only really liked the small moments with Venus and the cop, Venus and her mother towards the end, and the ending. That's why I'm giving three stars and not two. This isn't poorly written, it just wasn't my type of story.

Thank you library thing.com and netgalley.com for sending me an advanced copy of My Name is Venus Black by HeatherLloyd in return for my honest review.

This story is categorized as a young adult novel, but I am not a young adult and I found the story promising. What drove me absolutely crazy was that the reader is not told of the devastating event that changed the direction of Venus Black’s life until the end of the novel. It was dragged out, annoyingly so, that I started to lose interest. Maybe a younger reader would like this technique, but I found it a distraction.

I enjoyed the premise of this book but unfortunately, the pacing just wasn't for me. Maybe, at the time, I just wasn't in the mood for this book and so I had to put it down. I went ahead and read at least a good 40% of this but it still wasn't enough to get me invested. I don't know, maybe it just wasn't my cup of tea.

This book wasn’t for me. I decided not to review it on my site or any of the major retailers/Goodreads.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley. This book had me from the very beginning. I love that it kept me engaged the entire time. I couldn't wait to see how it ended. I would highly recommend to all my fellow readers. Thank you for the chance to review this book!

4.5 stars.
Incredibly well-crafted story. It is, at points, heartbreaking and beautiful and infuriating and hopeful.