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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The authors did a great job giving the reader a backdrop and somewhat history of the country of Haiti. The intertwining of a US born daughter to Haitian immigrants and the clash between both cultures and beliefs, resonates with so many 1st and 2nd generations of US-born to immigrant parents. The author shined light on how there is a conflict with those who come, go and/or give back to the motherland, which was quite beautiful. The story follows Alaine who is sent back to Haiti as a somewhat punishment for a school project gone wrong. What she learns about her culture and family is valuable to her growth as an adolescent as she struggles to believe in family curses but hopes for family cures.
funny
informative
inspiring
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
What a story!
It was such a joy to read a book that shines a light on Haiti—my family's homeland. I loved recognizing familiar landmarks and seeing the country portrayed with so much pride, passion, and depth.
It was such a joy to read a book that shines a light on Haiti—my family's homeland. I loved recognizing familiar landmarks and seeing the country portrayed with so much pride, passion, and depth.
The story follows Alaine, a bold and witty teen who takes things a little too far when seeking revenge on her classmates. Instead of being suspended, she’s sent to Haiti to finish out her senior year as an intern for her aunt’s organization. What starts as a punishment quickly becomes a powerful journey of self-discovery, as Alaine uncovers her family’s roots, explores Haiti’s rich culture, and confronts the mysterious “curse” that has haunted her family for generations.
I really loved the Haitian representation, from the culture to the history of it. I think this story of main character goes to a different country, learns about their background and gains an appreciation of it has been done before, but I liked the twists with the family curse and Alaine's mother's condition.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
emotional
funny
medium-paced
For me, the writing style is perfection. I just absolutely adore these two authors and will forever be fully invested in everything they publish.
This book was a piece of art that I didn’t know I needed. Alaine’s journey through grief and self discovery was beautiful to watch and be a part of.
And once you add in Haiti’s rich history..
And once you add in Haiti’s rich history..
I wish I liked Dear Haiti, Love Alaine, but it was a hard book for me to get through, and I ended up not liking it.
It's told in a mixed media format, so you see news articles, emails, texts, transcripts, and diary entries from both Alaine and her family. That didn't work at all in an e-book format. It just didn't look great, but keep in mind I was reading an advance copy, so I'm pretty sure it'll look better once it's actually published.
I did have a hard time getting through the book, and part of it is that the mixed media form of story-telling didn't work in an e-book form. A few parts of the text were out of order, and it's hard to have a good flow when you start a new section or chapter in the middle of a sentence. Again, I'm sure that will be fixed by the the time the book actually comes out, but it did affect my reading experience.
Part of why I struggled with the book was the random tangents. We'd be reading things from Alaine's point of view, and then suddenly, we'd be getting imagined emails between her mom and someone at GNN, where her mom used to work, or diary entries on a centuries old family curse. Even though everything did tie together in the end, it didn't make sense for most of the book. I did finish the book wondering what it was supposed to be about. There's a lot going on, and while I did like the individual pieces, I don't know that I liked all of them together. I felt like it muddled the overall story to the point that I wasn't sure what the story was supposed to be about.
I did like the family relationships, and that was something I did like about the book. You don't really see that in YA, and it was really refreshing to read. It was nice to see how they developed and changed over time but I wish we saw more of it.
Alaine had a really strong voice, and I wish we saw more of it. It did take a backseat to some of the other things we see in the book, and I'm a little sad about that because I felt like it took away from her story.
My Rating: 1 star. I really wish I liked this book more, but it just didn't work for me. I think it would work great in physical form, but as a digital ARC, it was hard to get through. There were parts of the book I liked, but it wasn't enough for me to really get into the book.
It's told in a mixed media format, so you see news articles, emails, texts, transcripts, and diary entries from both Alaine and her family. That didn't work at all in an e-book format. It just didn't look great, but keep in mind I was reading an advance copy, so I'm pretty sure it'll look better once it's actually published.
I did have a hard time getting through the book, and part of it is that the mixed media form of story-telling didn't work in an e-book form. A few parts of the text were out of order, and it's hard to have a good flow when you start a new section or chapter in the middle of a sentence. Again, I'm sure that will be fixed by the the time the book actually comes out, but it did affect my reading experience.
Part of why I struggled with the book was the random tangents. We'd be reading things from Alaine's point of view, and then suddenly, we'd be getting imagined emails between her mom and someone at GNN, where her mom used to work, or diary entries on a centuries old family curse. Even though everything did tie together in the end, it didn't make sense for most of the book. I did finish the book wondering what it was supposed to be about. There's a lot going on, and while I did like the individual pieces, I don't know that I liked all of them together. I felt like it muddled the overall story to the point that I wasn't sure what the story was supposed to be about.
I did like the family relationships, and that was something I did like about the book. You don't really see that in YA, and it was really refreshing to read. It was nice to see how they developed and changed over time but I wish we saw more of it.
Alaine had a really strong voice, and I wish we saw more of it. It did take a backseat to some of the other things we see in the book, and I'm a little sad about that because I felt like it took away from her story.
My Rating: 1 star. I really wish I liked this book more, but it just didn't work for me. I think it would work great in physical form, but as a digital ARC, it was hard to get through. There were parts of the book I liked, but it wasn't enough for me to really get into the book.