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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
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:
Complicated
5 stars*
I don't even know where to start with this, but this book is really special. I don't think I've ever read anything like it.
I absolutely adored Benji and Cal and I loved them together. I think they fit together so well.
But I think what I loved most about this book is the relationship Benji had with his dad. Some of the scenes are heartbreaking and others are just really cute. This author deals with loss and grief so well, and in this book it really shines out. I was completely entranced by this story and while flashbacks don't always work, they really work so well in this one.
The story is full of twists and turns, too. I honestly didn't see most of them coming - it felt really refreshing to be surprised by a book.
I felt so many things reading this story. I cried (a lot), I laughed and other parts were like a punch in the gut (in a good way).
One thing I've loved about the books I've read so far from this author are the side characters. I love how real and developed they all feel. They're not just there to fill gaps - they bring his stories to life and make them what they are. This book is no exception to that and I loved the side characters. Nina was adorable - I did feel like there was maybe more to her story though, and was a bit gutted we didn't get more from her.
I usually read several books at once but I couldn't put this one down, so read it alongside nothing else.
I'm finding it impossible to criticise anything about this book. My only small gripe which is very much just a me thing, is I felt the first 2 chapters were a bit long - I have ADHD and while this doesn't affect my reading too much, I do prefer shorter openings mostly and longer chapters once I know the story more. I'm so glad I stuck with it though.
5* no question :)
I don't even know where to start with this, but this book is really special. I don't think I've ever read anything like it.
I absolutely adored Benji and Cal and I loved them together. I think they fit together so well.
But I think what I loved most about this book is the relationship Benji had with his dad. Some of the scenes are heartbreaking and others are just really cute. This author deals with loss and grief so well, and in this book it really shines out. I was completely entranced by this story and while flashbacks don't always work, they really work so well in this one.
The story is full of twists and turns, too. I honestly didn't see most of them coming - it felt really refreshing to be surprised by a book.
I felt so many things reading this story. I cried (a lot), I laughed and other parts were like a punch in the gut (in a good way).
One thing I've loved about the books I've read so far from this author are the side characters. I love how real and developed they all feel. They're not just there to fill gaps - they bring his stories to life and make them what they are. This book is no exception to that and I loved the side characters. Nina was adorable - I did feel like there was maybe more to her story though, and was a bit gutted we didn't get more from her.
I usually read several books at once but I couldn't put this one down, so read it alongside nothing else.
I'm finding it impossible to criticise anything about this book. My only small gripe which is very much just a me thing, is I felt the first 2 chapters were a bit long - I have ADHD and while this doesn't affect my reading too much, I do prefer shorter openings mostly and longer chapters once I know the story more. I'm so glad I stuck with it though.
5* no question :)
I have wanted to read this for a while but I knew it would be an emotional journey so I kept putting it off. I started it, and had a cry at around 6% thinking, there is no way I am going to make it when I'm already crying. Then the story really kicks in and I am taken on a journey of love, and mystery and I get to around 70% thinking, this isn't so bad, I can do this. Of course I get to 75% and I am a blubbering mess and it pretty much doesn't stop (only briefly here and there) until the end.
I don't like stories about religion. I don't like stories about death and despair. I LOVED THIS STORY.
Was this believable? No. It was impossible and improbable, and that was the point!
I don't like stories about religion. I don't like stories about death and despair. I LOVED THIS STORY.
Was this believable? No. It was impossible and improbable, and that was the point!
I usually think, "oh THIS is the TJ Klune book I'm going to keep my shit together during." I was wrong. Again. This book was clear walking in that the main character loved two men in his life and one was his father and the other was Cal.
Benji was so distrustful of Cal for most of the book and I wish they had just a smidge smidge more relationship building. The real relationship of this book was always Benji and his dad.
I cried for like 30 minutes during the audiobook when Big Eddie and Benji reached the edge of the river. 30 minutes of the ugliest, splotchy crying and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Benji was so distrustful of Cal for most of the book and I wish they had just a smidge smidge more relationship building. The real relationship of this book was always Benji and his dad.
I cried for like 30 minutes during the audiobook when Big Eddie and Benji reached the edge of the river. 30 minutes of the ugliest, splotchy crying and I wouldn't have it any other way.
dnf 55%
Ah, I don't know if it's the book or me, probably me, but it was just boring. I wanted to love it because it's TJ Klune, but while the beginning was interesting, the constant repetition later bored me almost to tears.
The romance also felt rushed. I know they were fated mates or something, probably, but they banged after eight days of knowing each other. After reading Green Creek series, I was ready for a slow burn that I think would fit the story better.
There were also some questionable quotes that I'm not the biggest fan of.
Look, I get that our hero was jealous of some women, but to call her a 'slut'? Please, no.
In this situation, the main character's dad tried to support him in coming out to him and said something like this. I know the author was maybe trying to make the dad's response seem like something a small town dad might say, but it was pretty offensive. The author could have used anything and chose to use it.
I guess I have to come to terms with the fact that TJ Klune's older books are not for me.
Ah, I don't know if it's the book or me, probably me, but it was just boring. I wanted to love it because it's TJ Klune, but while the beginning was interesting, the constant repetition later bored me almost to tears.
The romance also felt rushed. I know they were fated mates or something, probably, but they banged after eight days of knowing each other. After reading Green Creek series, I was ready for a slow burn that I think would fit the story better.
There were also some questionable quotes that I'm not the biggest fan of.
“Did she?” I snarl, unable to stop myself. I bet it was that stupid bitch Suzie Goodman who works at the pharmacy. That fucking slut— “No,” he says, eyes sparkling. “That was a joke."
Look, I get that our hero was jealous of some women, but to call her a 'slut'? Please, no.
“You’re damn right I am. So you should know by now that I don’t give a rat’s ass if you’re gay or straight or one of those tranny guys that likes to dress up in a slutty skirt and pretend you have a vagina.”
In this situation, the main character's dad tried to support him in coming out to him and said something like this. I know the author was maybe trying to make the dad's response seem like something a small town dad might say, but it was pretty offensive. The author could have used anything and chose to use it.
I guess I have to come to terms with the fact that TJ Klune's older books are not for me.
“Time is a river, I’ve learned. Always moving forward.”
Go read any review of Into this River I Drown and I guarantee you’re going to hear about utter devastation. Sobbing and wailing. Wookie crying. People will warn you to ‘bring tissues, prepare your heart, but be ready to fall in love with this story’. It frightened me! I don’t dislike crying, but I’ll admit to putting off a book everyone says will crush me. That’s exactly what I did with Into this River I Drown. Even though I love TJ Klune’s writing with a passion, I was still too nervous to inflict that pain upon myself.
Then the other night, after DNFing another book, I was flipping through my Kindle and my eyes were drawn to this title. Suddenly I felt strong. I felt sure that just because everyone else was wrecked didn’t mean I’d feel the same way. Hell, maybe I wouldn’t even like Into this River I Drown. So, I opened it up and started reading, confident in my heart of stone. (Which is a joke, because I get teary from television commercials!) From there I only gained in confidence the more I read. I liked it. I liked it a lot. I just didn’t think anything was happening to warrant violent sobbing.
At about 70% the story took a turn I didn’t anticipate and I. Lost. It. Seriously. I wish I’d had my daughter take a picture of my face. I was swollen, red, tears streaming, gulping, and blowing my nose. My breath was coming out in crying gasps. Heaving sobs. I was definitely in need of tissues.
I remained crying, in varying degrees of heaviness, until I’d finished. With my face dry and stiff from all those salty tears, I started thinking about why Into this River I Drown was able to yank all that emotion out of me. I came to the conclusion that it’s because TJ Klune is so freaking gifted! He knows how to realistically write grief. Grief was what made me cry. I felt such pain, and it was because I was connected to Benji’s pain. It was special, even if it did make me splotchy and drippy. You can’t deny the beauty of a book that evokes that much feeling. It was stunning.
As far as the actual plot goes, I don’t really want to get into it. Like many of TJ’s books, the story is mysterious, and for me to talk too much would ruin it. I’ll just mention the connections. For a book like this to work the connections have to be strong. Big Eddie and Benji’s connection is the first, and main, thread of the story. There are a lot of flashbacks, since that’s the only way you’re going to understand Benji’s deep love for his father. We’re not just told, we’re shown. Rest assured, the flashbacks are built into the book gracefully, almost dancing back and forth with the present day. Then, there’s the connection between Benji and his mom, which in its own way is almost as integral to the story as Big Eddie. There’s the connections to Benji’s aunts. And finally, and equally as precious, is the relationship between Benji and Cal. It’s all a big spiderweb that hooks you like a bug and then swallows you whole.
There were flaws. There were times it felt like the story was crawling between scenes, so I think maybe some tighter editing would have helped. There was also one character I struggled with. Truthfully, neither of those complaints matter. They won’t be what I remember. They don’t stop me from wanting to rush out and buy Into this River I Drown in print. They definitely won’t hinder my rereading this next year.
I love TJ Klune.
For this and other reviews, visit Wendy at Birdie Bookworm.
This book is just wow. I have read and listened to this book four times now and it still finds a way to destroy me. The amount of grief and loss Benji felt was enormous and it isolated him. But this story wasn't just about him, it was also about his little town of Roseland. He lost his father who hung the stars, but they lost both of them. All until a man who falls from the sky came to town and showed them how to smile and live again. I'm not religious at all, but I still found this book amazing. The writing in this book is beautiful even with all the sadness, written in a way that is uniquely TJ.
emotional
sad
slow-paced
This was not my favorite TJ book. I think my religious trauma probably impacted my enjoyment of the story (lots of biblical references that made me uncomfy).
The story was still what you would expect of Klunes work, although some of the content definitely hasn’t aged well but did reflect the setting (particularly the use of t slur; although unfortunately I feel that the use of them was probably accurate for the 2000-early 20teens which are when the book takes place)
The story was still what you would expect of Klunes work, although some of the content definitely hasn’t aged well but did reflect the setting (particularly the use of t slur; although unfortunately I feel that the use of them was probably accurate for the 2000-early 20teens which are when the book takes place)
adventurous
emotional
tense
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:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
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:
Yes