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neurospicyreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I absolutely adored this. Were there flaws? a few. But this book had me crying in the best way. It is a massive hug.
Moderate: Child abuse, Grief, and Bullying
Minor: Xenophobia, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Violence, and Racism
natroze's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, Confinement, Xenophobia, Abandonment, Hate crime, and Mental illness
Moderate: Xenophobia, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Blood, Bullying, Body shaming, and Child abuse
Not on content warnings list: adoption/foster system trauma and abuse. Note: most xenophobia and racism in the book is directed at mythical/fantasy being characters (fairies, shapeshifters, etc). Also of note: does fall into the “character of color turns into an animal” trope; the one character I recall being described as black is a shapeshifter who turns into a dog, who has also suffered some of the most realistic-to-life adoption system trauma/abuse.giulianalb99's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Racism, Confinement, Mental illness, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Body shaming, and Religious bigotry
evarinya's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
I didn't like the "preachy" tone either - the idea of show don't tell seemed a little bit ignored, most things were either only told or shown and then explained afterwards. And sure, there were some good messages there, but it just felt very contrived.
The kids were somewhat cute after about half the book, once they had stopped with those annoying death threats.
The story was very much predictable, which doesn't have to be bad, but somehow in this case there... was not even a tiny twist on it or any kind of other kind of surprise...
Somehow the end made it even worse,
I mean, I do read books to escape from reality, but... this felt awkward to me...
I get that it's supposed to be all cozy and comforting, but I find if its too sugary it starts to feel fake at some point... And in this case it somehow managed to do just that.
Perhaps becasue I somewhat recently read "The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches", which had a very similar theme but did it better (imho).
Graphic: Body shaming and Fatphobia
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Physical abuse, Confinement, Religious bigotry, and Bullying
pastelkerstin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, Abandonment, Cursing, Xenophobia, Bullying, and Hate crime
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Violence and Death of parent
yoolia's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Minor: Bullying, Grief, and Child abuse
aj_langley's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Bullying
Minor: Child abuse, Hate crime, and Racism
tradepaperback's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Bullying
sirkeili's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Linus is both incredibly oblivious, and incredibly endearing. He reminds me a lot of Aziraphale; trying to do his job perfectly, but ultimately failing due to his endless compassion, empathy and boundless love. The amount of times I was screaming both "Linus, for the love of god, LOOK" followed by me nearly crying at how soft he was is numerable.
The kids? Arthur? Zoe? All of them were so endearing, and I loved them all so much. Theo and Lucy both are top contenders for my favourite kid, mostly due to their antics, but all of them are hilarious gremlins and their meddling is priceless.
Overall, this feel-good story about found family and overcoming our own self-made limitations is a phenomenal novel. I hope to see more of Linus and his family soon, I do miss them so! ❤️
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Bullying, Child abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Cursing, Fatphobia, Confinement, Grief, and Religious bigotry
nehanaomi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Physical abuse, Hate crime, Child abuse, Confinement, Bullying, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, and Racism