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elysahenegar's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
What a unique story! I enjoyed both storylines--Laura, Freddie, and Sunshine, a "found family" trying to return Anthony's lost things to their owners, and Eunice and Bomber's wonderful, enduring friendship--as well as anticipating how the two would come together. This is a tender story about love and friendship told with good humor and great characters, among whom are a wise young girl with Down Syndrome ("dancing drome," she calls it) and a feisty ghost! Definitely recommend!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dementia, Death, and Grief
amyrandles1's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Death
Minor: Animal death, Death of parent, Suicide, Miscarriage, and Grief
ceruleanseas's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I read this for a book club and it was generally liked by everyone, myself included.
The book deals with some very heavy events, including death, grief, dementia, and heartbreak, but in many cases, the author never quite gives the reader enough details to say definitively what happened. I have limited personal experience with dementia and grief, but I felt that these topics were handled thoughtfully.
I have no experience with people with Down's Syndrome, so I can't speak to whether Sunshine's character was written well, buthaving Sunshine not only be very in-tune with everything in the world around her unless she was being totally oblivious to social cues, but also having psychic powers, was a little too stereotypical for me. She didn't single-handedly solve everything herself while everyone else stared in awe, though, and I really have no idea if her perception of the world is realistic in any way .
I enjoyed the complex layering of the stories of the lost things and the main plot lines. I also liked that the author chose to NOT wrap up many of the plot lines in the standard waynot everyone gets a standard happy-ever-after, even if they do end up, more or less, as happy but created a far more relatable story about grief, relationships, and healing.
The book deals with some very heavy events, including death, grief, dementia, and heartbreak, but in many cases, the author never quite gives the reader enough details to say definitively what happened. I have limited personal experience with dementia and grief, but I felt that these topics were handled thoughtfully.
I have no experience with people with Down's Syndrome, so I can't speak to whether Sunshine's character was written well, but
I enjoyed the complex layering of the stories of the lost things and the main plot lines. I also liked that the author chose to NOT wrap up many of the plot lines in the standard way
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Dementia, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Chronic illness, Infertility, Infidelity, Animal death, Miscarriage, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Ableism, Bullying, Alcohol, Homophobia, and Infidelity
mnatale100's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Ableism, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Infertility, Domestic abuse, Death, Sexual violence, Animal death, and Terminal illness
Minor: Cursing, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Vomit, and Alcohol
raven532000's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
It’s a good book, especially if you like the contemporary style. I like the symmetry of the book. I personally found some of the character interactions a bit forced, mainly because this book is mainly character driven so I thought there would be more flow to the interactions. Overall it’s a quick easy read that makes you think about how you live your life.
Content Warnings
Minor: Physical abuse, Misogyny, Infertility, Infidelity, Dementia, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Rape, Grief, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Death
booksnbakes's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dementia, Grief, and Ableism
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, and Death
bebidocrimes's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I picked this book up cause the cover is adorable and the synopsis seemed cute, plus I was hoping for a quick read. It was light enough that it didn't drag on but it didn't feel like there was a lot of substance. The lost things' stories were neat, but Laura's story seemed very self-pitying. The romance was hinted at and then all of a sudden was established, like it was just a requirement to keep the story moving.
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Grief, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
lilifane's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book feels like a warm and cozy blanket and a lovely cup of tea.
It's wholesome, heart-warming, whimsical, magical even, cute, cozy, British, tooth rotting sweet... and I loved it. It was exactly what I needed this weekend. It also deals with some heavy topics like death, Alzheimer's, loss and grief in general, but it still has this positive vibe throughout the whole book.
The keeper of lost things is an old gentleman called Anthony. He's a writer and one day a tragic event made him be obsessed with lost things. Whenever he finds something on his walks/journeys someone else lost, he takes it home with him and catalogues it in order to return it to the rightful owner. As he fails to do this, he starts writing short stories about the lost items instead. His last wish is for his middle-aged housekeeper Laura to take over the task and return at least some of the object to their owners. Laura, the gardener Freddie and the neighbour's daughter Sunshine, who has down syndrome, then try to fulfill Anthony's wish.
In a second plot line we get the story of Bomber, a publisher, and his assistant Eunice, following them for years. Additionally, both plots are interwoven with short stories about the lost items.
It might sound a little chaotic, but I really liked this structure and in the end everything came together beautifully.
All the characters in this book are kind of lost, and they not only find each other but also themselves. I LOVED this theme that really connected every detail in this book. The writing might not be very outstanding, it's very, very sweet and whimsical and... repetitive. So don't expect too much.
I'm a little conflicted about Sunshine, though. There are a lot of things I like about her representation. She's a great and lovable character, portrayed in such a respectful way in my opinion. She is probably the character with the most agency in the whole book, she takes initiative, keeps the plot going. There even is a discussion about prejudices against people with Down Syndrome and how to not treat them. But then she's the only character with a "special ability", being able to sense/predict things? I mean it fits with the tone and atmosphere of the story, but it still feels like people with disabilities need an additional talent to be part of the story. I don't know. Maybe I'm overthinking it.
So yeah, it's not a very deep book or a masterpiece or a must-read, but great to escape reality for a bit.
It's wholesome, heart-warming, whimsical, magical even, cute, cozy, British, tooth rotting sweet... and I loved it. It was exactly what I needed this weekend. It also deals with some heavy topics like death, Alzheimer's, loss and grief in general, but it still has this positive vibe throughout the whole book.
The keeper of lost things is an old gentleman called Anthony. He's a writer and one day a tragic event made him be obsessed with lost things. Whenever he finds something on his walks/journeys someone else lost, he takes it home with him and catalogues it in order to return it to the rightful owner. As he fails to do this, he starts writing short stories about the lost items instead. His last wish is for his middle-aged housekeeper Laura to take over the task and return at least some of the object to their owners. Laura, the gardener Freddie and the neighbour's daughter Sunshine, who has down syndrome, then try to fulfill Anthony's wish.
In a second plot line we get the story of Bomber, a publisher, and his assistant Eunice, following them for years. Additionally, both plots are interwoven with short stories about the lost items.
It might sound a little chaotic, but I really liked this structure and in the end everything came together beautifully.
All the characters in this book are kind of lost, and they not only find each other but also themselves. I LOVED this theme that really connected every detail in this book. The writing might not be very outstanding, it's very, very sweet and whimsical and... repetitive. So don't expect too much.
I'm a little conflicted about Sunshine, though. There are a lot of things I like about her representation. She's a great and lovable character, portrayed in such a respectful way in my opinion. She is probably the character with the most agency in the whole book, she takes initiative, keeps the plot going. There even is a discussion about prejudices against people with Down Syndrome and how to not treat them. But then she's the only character with a "special ability", being able to sense/predict things? I mean it fits with the tone and atmosphere of the story, but it still feels like people with disabilities need an additional talent to be part of the story. I don't know. Maybe I'm overthinking it.
So yeah, it's not a very deep book or a masterpiece or a must-read, but great to escape reality for a bit.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, and Grief
Minor: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Infidelity
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