Reviews

At the beginning of this book, I felt like it was a huge let-down. I wanted so badly to love the book but I just couldn't connect. I felt no emotions toward Isabel and her troubles that she was having with her miscarriages. However, I did appreciate the depth of the background story in the beginning. That being said, the way this book is written, it's supposed to go slow. You're supposed to take your time and just enjoy the journey throughout the story, which I quickly learned. This wasn't going to be a quick read, it would be longer and that was okay.
At times, I was very conflicted. I was rooting so hard for Isabel and Tom (this was after I connected with them, which occurred during the chapter describing Isabel's stillbirth), but I also felt extremely guilty for this because of poor Hannah. I felt like she deserved to know and I really respected Tom for the way he went about dealing with his guilt. Even though ultimately, it was a fatal flaw for his family, he knew what the right thing to do was and that, I think, is respectable. I really resented Isabel for a lot of the book, especially when I thought was going to betray Tom, but I am very glad that she didn't; I think the difference in their maturity was very evident, though.
The ending was my favorite part. Throughout the whole novel I was sure that I was going to rate this 3-3.5, but the ending really made the book better for me. I was crying and I just thought that it was beautiful, especially that she remembered them. Definitely an interesting story to teach about familial love.

naiadyn_19_'s review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-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

rhibeetle17's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

missyjohnson's review against another edition

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3.0

liked it until the last one-third. then I felt that there was a bit of suspension of belief. I could not reconcile how Hannah made the decision that she made nor why. maybe if I thought about it more but I really don't want to.

tashaseegmiller's review against another edition

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4.0

Hearing the premise of this book intrigued me. The story lead me on a journey through years, changing who I was rooting for and why, with twists and great emotional connection with so many characters. This is a really well written book and I really just adored. Will read Stedman again.

nataliestonemclean's review against another edition

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emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

mrs_tea's review against another edition

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5.0

I could not put this book down. The story sucked me in. Each character finds their way into your heart. Especially being a mother, the tragedy of the story lifted me and broke my heart.

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