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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So this book..
1. The writing style wasn't good. I hate to say it but it felt like I'm reading the first manuscript of a novel that would've been amazing. There is so much telling instead of showing that reading it was boring.
2. All characters except for jasmine are extremely unlikeable and most of them are just walking stereotypes.
3. Haru could've been a real human and not something that 'only eric can see.' why is nobody questioning the guy sitting alone in a restaurant/café ordering a lot of food and talking to himself? Or was he just sitting there in silence imagining everything? The 'magical' aspect wasn't explored well
4. Daniels death was unnecessary, there was such little talking about actually grieving Daniel that the story felt like a love story between haru and eric.
5. The "plot twist" at the end was actually really good and made me emotional.
6. The story didn't go anywhere for the first 90% and anytime Eric was actually happy, the author destroyed that happiness and made Eric miserable again.
7. WAY TOO MUCH ALCOHOL. It's not even like Eric drinks because he's grieving Daniel and it's the only thing that helps, he's just being encouraged by so called "adults" that behave like children to excessively drink expensive cocktails and wine.
So all in all, the book isn't worth reading, BUT the story has so much potential. Maybe another 100 pages and doing things a little slower would've been better. Not spoon feeding every information to the reader and instead showing some things would've been nice.
1. The writing style wasn't good. I hate to say it but it felt like I'm reading the first manuscript of a novel that would've been amazing. There is so much telling instead of showing that reading it was boring.
2. All characters except for jasmine are extremely unlikeable and most of them are just walking stereotypes.
3. Haru could've been a real human and not something that 'only eric can see.' why is nobody questioning the guy sitting alone in a restaurant/café ordering a lot of food and talking to himself? Or was he just sitting there in silence imagining everything? The 'magical' aspect wasn't explored well
4. Daniels death was unnecessary, there was such little talking about actually grieving Daniel that the story felt like a love story between haru and eric.
5. The "plot twist" at the end was actually really good and made me emotional.
6. The story didn't go anywhere for the first 90% and anytime Eric was actually happy, the author destroyed that happiness and made Eric miserable again.
7. WAY TOO MUCH ALCOHOL. It's not even like Eric drinks because he's grieving Daniel and it's the only thing that helps, he's just being encouraged by so called "adults" that behave like children to excessively drink expensive cocktails and wine.
So all in all, the book isn't worth reading, BUT the story has so much potential. Maybe another 100 pages and doing things a little slower would've been better. Not spoon feeding every information to the reader and instead showing some things would've been nice.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
*Spoilers ahead*
This book is if Jiminy Cricket was a problematic friend to Pinocchio and only showed up every now and then to make good choices, but then allowed him to go ahead and make those bad choices anyway. Haru is problematic Jiminy Cricket.
I get that this story is about grief and how when we lose the people we love and who are close to us, the world can fall apart and feel like a space that's hostile. And sometimes retreating into our own personal landscape is the only way to conceivably deal with that. But the way in which this was executed through this novel just leaves a really bad taste in my mouth.
I'm not sure if I like the way Haru's character is presented in the novel. It's unclear if he's real or not at the beginning, and then clearly appears to be a figment of the main character's imagination after a certain point. But the amount of wool put over the reader to confuse them about what is reality and what isn't got a little tiring after a while. I couldn't help but just roll my eyes whenever Haru showed up...and then eventually just roll my eyes whenever Eric makes a decision, which are all pretty terrible for the most part. I'd probably feel a lot more sympathy for him if I were to see his actions from the point of view of another character who is actually real and cares about Eric. For example, Kevin would have been a great perspective to look at and sympathize with Eric, but he's barely in the novel at all. And don't even get me started on nearly all the other characters, real or imaginary, who are either terrible people or pretty much serve as window dressing for the book.
As much as I wanted to enjoy this, it just feels like a book about one character suffering through grief and everyone else is basically an asshole.
This book is if Jiminy Cricket was a problematic friend to Pinocchio and only showed up every now and then to make good choices, but then allowed him to go ahead and make those bad choices anyway. Haru is problematic Jiminy Cricket.
I get that this story is about grief and how when we lose the people we love and who are close to us, the world can fall apart and feel like a space that's hostile. And sometimes retreating into our own personal landscape is the only way to conceivably deal with that. But the way in which this was executed through this novel just leaves a really bad taste in my mouth.
I'm not sure if I like the way Haru's character is presented in the novel. It's unclear if he's real or not at the beginning, and then clearly appears to be a figment of the main character's imagination after a certain point. But the amount of wool put over the reader to confuse them about what is reality and what isn't got a little tiring after a while. I couldn't help but just roll my eyes whenever Haru showed up...and then eventually just roll my eyes whenever Eric makes a decision, which are all pretty terrible for the most part. I'd probably feel a lot more sympathy for him if I were to see his actions from the point of view of another character who is actually real and cares about Eric. For example, Kevin would have been a great perspective to look at and sympathize with Eric, but he's barely in the novel at all. And don't even get me started on nearly all the other characters, real or imaginary, who are either terrible people or pretty much serve as window dressing for the book.
As much as I wanted to enjoy this, it just feels like a book about one character suffering through grief and everyone else is basically an asshole.
emotional
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief
emotional
mysterious
sad
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think i figured out the big twist too soon, and revealing that Haru was just a figment of Eric's imagination in the synopsis ruined it a bit for me. Other than that I just didn't find Eric to be a compelling main character and most of the side characters where pretty unlikable.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Minor: Chronic illness, Death
“I’ll always be a paper flower in your life, and you deserve a real one.”
If you like wholesome queer stories, teenage drama and crying your eyes out, When Haru Was Here might be the perfect read for you.
This is a story about friendship, loss and moving on with your life. The book was fast paced and easy to fall into. I was constantly wondering what was actually going on, and I think the author did a great job of blurring the lines between reality and mystery so that you never really knew.
Eric was very much a typical teenage boy who I was constantly screaming “make good choices” at. He did not listen. At times his behaviour truly frustrated me but I think that was the whole point.
I think the final fourth of this book was what really settled the rating for me. It took a turn I didn’t really expect and tapped into something that made me feel all the feels. Even got me a bit teary eyed. This book deals with grief in a very big way, so do be aware of that before going in.
I think I’ll have to pick up “You’ve Reached Sam” at some point. I’m excited to delve into more of this author’s work.
If you like wholesome queer stories, teenage drama and crying your eyes out, When Haru Was Here might be the perfect read for you.
This is a story about friendship, loss and moving on with your life. The book was fast paced and easy to fall into. I was constantly wondering what was actually going on, and I think the author did a great job of blurring the lines between reality and mystery so that you never really knew.
Eric was very much a typical teenage boy who I was constantly screaming “make good choices” at. He did not listen. At times his behaviour truly frustrated me but I think that was the whole point.
I think the final fourth of this book was what really settled the rating for me. It took a turn I didn’t really expect and tapped into something that made me feel all the feels. Even got me a bit teary eyed. This book deals with grief in a very big way, so do be aware of that before going in.
I think I’ll have to pick up “You’ve Reached Sam” at some point. I’m excited to delve into more of this author’s work.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes