Reviews

Everything Here Is Beautiful by Mira T. Lee

hanmur's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

4.75

lulo49's review

5.0

I enjoyed this book even though it covered a difficult subject. It was so much more than a book about mental illness. It was a complex, well-developed story involving several characters, one who had the illness, and the others who loved and had to negotiate living with someone who did not understand/believe they really were sick. It reminded me of loving and living with someone with an addiction. In both cases it can be heart-breaking for those who are trying to support and love the person who is struggling. The author did a wonderful job of presenting perspectives of all the characters. It made me more aware of the complexities of these issues and sympathetic for all parties involved.

foreverarose's review

emotional 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

4.0

allysonwbrunette's review against another edition

5.0

Wow, this book is easily one of my favorite reads of 2019. This novel follows the separate, but permanently intertwined lives of two immigrant sisters, Miranda and Lucia. Miranda is the Type A, over achieving, perfectly organized and coifed older sister. Lucia is headstrong, creative, a free spirit and is dealing with the devastating impacts of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Lucia’s battle with accepting her diagnosis of mental illness drives the family apart, but Miranda continually is drawn back to her sister’s side, despite the deep division that Lucia’s illness causes between them. This book was heart-wrenching as you felt so deeply for both sisters. I liked that there wasn’t a hero in this story, it exposed both sisters as humans struggling to accept the realities of living with mental illness on one-hand, and the free will and autonomy that individuals have, even if those decisions are not the ones that the same ones that they would make.

candacesiegle_greedyreader's review

3.0

This novel is harrowing, but having a beloved sister with mental illness is not an easy thing. Miranda and Lucia struggle over the years. There's a child and several foreign countries involved over the years, as well as several very decent men.

But I wanted someone to get a break. Lucia does find some peace, briefly, at least, in Ecuador and with Yonah, her real soulmate. Miranda's whole life is spent on tenderhooks, waiting for the next call about her sister's condition. Mira Lee does a fine job of expressing mental illness in the experience of the person dealing with it. How everything seems great, until suddenly, it isn't. But it's all within you, so it seems completely normal. It's the people on the outside who see the changes.

This is a very assured debut from Mira Lee. You have the be in the right place for this story, in the mood to be reading a hard story about a family's struggle to maintain balanced life when a beloved member of that family is involved in a battle every day that is daunting to understand.

flavroc's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

saltair_andtherust_onyourdoor's review

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

srbjess's review

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

singhs43's review

I just can’t it was too much 

k_lenn's review

5.0

To be honest, I went into this book expecting to be a little bored. I saw that big wall of text and the long chapters, and I considered just putting it off until another day. I didn't, obviously, and let me tell you one thing: after turning that last page and feeling sad it was over, I'm glad I didn't give up on it so quickly. This honestly has to be one of my favourite books I've read this year. I initially had a few minor issues with the writing, but they all seemed to disappear by the end.

Word of warning: "This is not some fairy tale. Things don’t turn out okay just because you want them to."