1.04k reviews for:

When Haru Was Here

Dustin Thao

3.75 AVERAGE

emotional reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
emotional mysterious sad fast-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 sad fast-paced
adventurous emotional lighthearted reflective sad 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
adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad 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
challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
emotional hopeful sad 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: Complicated

This book broke my heart over and over again. At the and I couldn’t stop sobbing. 
emotional sad medium-paced
sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
dark emotional mysterious 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

To me, I liked the storyline with the sister, but I never formed an emotional attachment to Haru and Daniel. This caused me to not really feel the heartache I was hoping for after reading "You've Reached Sam". Nonetheless, I liked how this book showed what grief and loneliness can do to people, how it can make people allow others to walk over them just to feel a little bit less alone. I also liked the incorporation of his Vietnamese background and the struggles his parents and him face (along with him and Jasmine feeling responsible for them). So I liked the details and the context, just wasn't really sold on the main storyline with Haru.