1.06k reviews for:

When Haru Was Here

Dustin Thao

3.75 AVERAGE

ethanclc's review against another edition

3.0

sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

sabucho's review against another edition

4.25

emotional hopeful mysterious 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

leighlynn1014's review against another edition

5.0

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: Yes

This book destroyed me in the best way.

jamie17's review against another edition

4.5

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

kenziifox's review against another edition

4.0

Did I buy this book because it was gorgeous and gay? yup
Did I stay for the emotional roller-coaster for the entire ride down? absolutely
Do I recommend? if you want to feel like you took a shot of espresso depresso

This one gave me a lot of feelings. Mostly sadness. Right from the start you know something is wrong with the main characters...interactions. The mystery is what kept me turning the pages and then there were the side characters and the heartbreak-this poor guy has been through it. As a teenager he had some pretty bad luck and this author just kept swinging the entire way through. I just wanted to reach out and hold the poor kid at the end of the story. For the first few chapters I can't say I enjoyed this title. It was a rough start for me as a reader to really connect with the character OR the plot at all.

However, about the halfway point I started to really dig into this character's life. Believing-hoping that Eric would get a chance at happiness and a bit of an explanation surrounding Haru. Thao did me a disservice and caused me to actually CRY with that last twist at the end. I was blind sided and yet I do not regret reading this story. It made me feel a lot of things and it's a wonderful story for anyone (lgbtq+) looking to have a bit of emotion sprinkled into your life.

Additionally, thank you for that epilogue, it healed something and honestly-I would read a sequel based on the end.