Author: S.A. Cosby
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Released: July 6^th, 2021
Received: Own (BOTM)

S.A. Cosby’s newest novel, Razorblade Tears, throws two fathers into a revenge spiral as they battle to cope with the loss of their sons. This is a novel that opens the door to many different conversations.

Ike Randolph has worked hard to create a new life for himself outside of a jail cell. He doesn’t want to go back and knows full well how much he has to lose. Conversely, there’s Buddy Lee. A known criminal who isn’t afraid to admit who and what he is.

Normally, these two men would have never crossed paths. If not for their sons, who met, fell in love, and got married. If only the story ended there. Now, two grieving fathers are on a path for vengeance, and nothing better gets in their way.

“He needed your love then. Not now that he’s in the ground.”

Razorblade Tears was one of my BOTM picks, and I was so excited to read it! However, it actually ended up being such a flop for me. While I respect the conversations that were brought up in this novel (racism, homophobia, transphobia), I feel like these points were all left swinging in the wind. There’s no conclusion on these plot arcs, no follow-through, and instead, it almost felt like their presence was there to create more shock than thought.

I don’t know; maybe I’m looking at this from the wrong angle. Most of the readers on Goodreads seemed to enjoy it, which has left me second-guessing myself. However, I just can’t shake that bad taste Razorblade Tears left behind.