Customer Reviews

Fast Life (Kimani Tru)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Kyra Jones is sixteen and in love with her drug dealing boyfriend Makai, who keeps her fitted in the finest designer gear. Kyra is happy with life as she knows it in Chicago, but she gets a big surprise one day when she comes home from school.
Kyra's single mother Geneva is offered a job in the Caribbean on Prince Paul Island and Geneva has accepted and they will be moving. Of course Kyra thinks it's the end of the world and is not pleased that she has to leave her friends and boyfriend behind.
Once on the Island Kyra feels home sick as her mother is busy with her new job. Kyra meets Justine and falls in love, but all is not what it seems...
Back in Chicago Kyra's old boyfriend has made it big in the drug trade and vows to bring Kyra back to Chicago...

Read on as Kyra's two worlds collide in one big explosion and she realizes that leaving the world of violence and drugs is just not that easy!

A good read by eighteen year old author Cassandra Carter, I love how she pointed out that sometimes it's not so easy to start over without paying a heavy price. And in this case Kyra was in way over her head.
I was disappointed with the mother Geneva's part in this story...she was sort of a grey area for me, she moves her child to a new environment and she wasn't really there for her. I couldn't really understand this mother and daughter relationship especially as Kyra was an only child.

This story has plenty of dramatic twists that will keep you turning the pages.

Locksie
ARC Book Club Inc.

I was piqued when I realized FAST LIFE was set in Chi-city. Cassandra Carter shares the life of a young girl, Kyra Jones, whose fashion induced lifestyle is abruptly changed as she's forced to move far away from her comfort in order for her mom to work. Unknowingly, Kyra finds that she's adapting to a new way of living and appears to be benefiting from her new surroundings. Readers watch as the once selfish, spoiled young girl blossoms into a more conscientious and astute young woman. Will pettiness, pride and foolishness force this rehabbing diva to abandon her recovery and re-stake her claim in Chi-city at a costly re-up fee?

FAST LIFE begins simple enough, designer fits, with hated on cliques, and drama that just don't quit and that cutie for a boyfriend with long money that puts you on the top of the most envied list. BUT, when baby girl steps in MARSHALL H.S. in a chinchilla and little dude has a paid for Escalade, it's time for me to officially pump my fresh ones' brakes! You're kidding me, right? While I know that we live in the bling- bling era and everyone has to find some sort of way to edge out the others, I need it real, raw and gritty! Especially when the story takes place not only in my city, but in my actual HOOD! Even with such a major infraction, I can look past that, because we all know that the allure of being that CHICK is what sells. HOWEVER when a hood tale becomes and all out romance novel, then it's official; I can no longer hold my tongue. I believe in the whole first love, and all of that happily ever after, I do; but I don't enjoy romances and I was somewhat cross to find that my hood drama had turned into some African American soap opera that used drugs, violence and fashion to fuel it on.

Evident by the pages in FAST LIFE, Miss Cassandra Carter has a flair for the dramatics and her pen game with some development will be FIERCE! With that said, I believe that maybe too many characters, experiences and events buried the timeline, allowing for main characters to be tossed along the sideline leaving readers with many unanswered questions.

I love the fact that Kimani Tru is opening the eyes of teen readers. I just fear that maybe the bling was overly emphasized without enough recognition for the penalties associated with living a high-risk lifestyle. I STRONGLY advise that parents read the story before allowing impressionable teens to.

Reviewed by: Crystal

Casandra Carter is a talented writer with a bright future. Her debut novel has everything - drugs, sex, intrigue and her main character, Kyra Jones is not even out of high school. I enjoyed every minute of this dicey novel about a girl from Chicago that got caught up in the...Fast Life!

Before I say anything, I do believe a huge round of applause is in order for Miss Cassandra Carter. For someone to become published is quite the achievement, but for a high school senior to have become published is an even bigger achievement. I have tremendous respect for her, not only because she has accomplished something that most people struggle to do their whole lives, but because she has given me inspiration, for I am a teenage writer myself, who hopes to be published quite soon.

However, as much as I respect and appalaud Cassandra for her acheveiement, I must say that, from a literary standpoint, I found things to be lacking. The plot was a fresh take on a much recycled idea and the characters were well-rounded, if a bit stereotypic, but the flow of the actual story was rather staunched. Where the scenes could have been streched out a little longer and given the plot and characters more depth, they were aburptly stopped, leaving me with a sense of disappointment. The scenes which were supposed to be tense and climatic were tied off too soon, and there were entire scenes were nothing in particular happened; these little bits could have been used to expand and give depth to different characters and the like.

And, the sex scenes felt a might bit too crude, but that may simply be me.

But, overall, I enjoyed this book very much, and can't wait to see what Cassandra comes up with next!

I am a student in Victoria Morse's class and this is a book she bought for me. Fast life is a very good book I read this book in like 2 days that'S how good it is. If you like realistic teen books then Fast life is the best book 4 u. This story takes place in the Bahamas and in Chicago. The main character's name is Kyra, and her big problem is that she moves to Bahamas with her mother and falls in love with this very sexy boy name justin!!!! but her major problem is that she already has a boyfiend back home in chi-town but she did not tell justin. What's cool about this book is that it keeps you reading and it has a lot of action that i think us teenagers can realate to.

Im a student in Victoria Morses class and this is a review of a book she bought for me. if your a person who likes teen fictional drama than you should read Kimani Tru Fast life. The obbk takes place in Chicago the main characters name is Kyra her big problem is that shes moving to a diffrent ISLAND! my favorite thing about the book i s that it has a lot of drama.

Im a student in Victoria Morses class an dthis is a review of a book she bought for me. if your a person who likes teen fictional drama than you should read Kimani Tru Fast life. The obbk takes place in Chicago the main characters name is Kyra her big problem is that shes moving to a diffrent ISLAND! my favorite thing about the book i s that it has a lot of drama.

As I read this book, I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. This book was filled with surprises and had my full attention!/

I LOVED THIS BOOK. IT IS THE DEBUT OF AUTHOR CASSANDRA CARTER. THE BOLD AND SASSY STORY OF KYRA JONES WAS GREAT. IT SHOWS LOVE, PAIN AND TRUST. TEENS ALL OVER THE WORLD GO THROUGH HE SAMETHING.

I might still be out of place reviewing this work, since it was written for black, teenage, girls. I am none of these things, but even so, I enjoyed it very much.
It was a fun, dramatic read; my first experience with a teen romance novel. It was cliche in places but good overall. It had excellent dramatic buildup throughout, had believable and interesting character development, and made a cool use of foreshadowing with location names and upcoming shifts in action.