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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
I generally enjoyed this book while reading it, but there wasn't anything that necessarily stood out to me as extraordinary. That is, until the death scene and the following scenes. What a beautifully written passing and show of grief in the immediate aftermath. As I was listening, I went back several times to relisten and take it all in. I even teared up a bit. It's a long build up to that, but it's a really well-written ending, on par with how I experienced The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
Ahhh excuse me while I tear up! The way this book discusses grief and caregiving is so heartfelt and honest. It was quite hard to read at times because of how accurate the writing was, but don’t get me wrong, this is definitely worth the journey. Learning how to let go of someone is SO hard. This book isn’t exactly a guide for that or anything, but I do think it feels like a parallel experience, showing a range of emotions and reactions - and making sure to underline that all of these are valid. Also I really loved the whole “life with and without structure is worth living” message and am definitely going to try to implement that in my own life. The double reconciliation love stories were so cute!! Especially Joe and his partner’s (who I’m forgetting the name of rn my bad T.T). Their story was the real heartbreak of this book in my opinion. On the other hand, I will say that Logan was not my favorite character 😭 I was rooting for her, but whenever the asshole stuff came up all I could think was: Yeah she can kinda be an asshole 😭…. and childhood trauma does not excuse acting like an asshole. I also sensed that this book suffered from the “saying fuck a lot to try to sound cool” syndrome … it was understandable at times, but quite noticeable at other times. The Grand Canyon part of the trip was nice overall, but the mini plot point that was the heat exhaustion thing really annoyed me honestly. Rosemary’s heat exhaustion could have KILLED HER,,,, like they were not taking that shit seriously enough??? Not keeping down any liquids + constant throwing up + red in the face + going to the bathroom like that + irritable (yes that is a symptom T.T) deadass they should have been rushing her to the hospital —> bro needs wayyyy more than one vitamin water to fix this life threatening situation….
Also I’d like to input that there must be an abnormal heat wave for it to be 105 degrees at the rim of the Grand Canyon in June. Overall, I quite enjoyed this reading experience, and I must thank you Mikayla for recommending it to me!! I’m sorry I’m so stingy about random plot points though, this is truly a good book 😭
Cochrun writes a delightful romance with lots of humor even if this one os heavily mired in grief.
Two former middle school best friends, Logan and Rosemary, are stuck in their adult lives as they both moved back to their small Washington State hometown and teach at the high school they attended. They get on each other's last nerve. When their surrogate parent and former high school English teacher Joe is dying of cancer, they agreed to take him on a death road trip from Washington to Maine in the Queer Cuddler van and with a dog that failed his service exam.
Infused with love and queer joy in every unexpected place, I couldn't put this down. I adored how this weaved in queer history with having Joe and Remy as elder representation. I don't always believe in the HEA but certainly the HFN. I cried.
Two former middle school best friends, Logan and Rosemary, are stuck in their adult lives as they both moved back to their small Washington State hometown and teach at the high school they attended. They get on each other's last nerve. When their surrogate parent and former high school English teacher Joe is dying of cancer, they agreed to take him on a death road trip from Washington to Maine in the Queer Cuddler van and with a dog that failed his service exam.
Infused with love and queer joy in every unexpected place, I couldn't put this down. I adored how this weaved in queer history with having Joe and Remy as elder representation. I don't always believe in the HEA but certainly the HFN. I cried.
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
fast-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
funny
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
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad