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jialianyang's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
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
5.0
I see why this book is a bestseller! The narration is at times cerebral and fully in a teen voice, but eventually the character and plot developments twist and turn so rapidly that you can't help but flip page after page. This is a story about family, loyalty, secrets, respect, ableism, the limits of our public safety system, language, philosophy and more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, and War
kimveach's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Wow! This is a hard book to rate. By the end of it, I wanted to give it five stars, but at the beginning, I wasn't sure I would even finish it. Compared to "Miracle Creek," this book is overly wordy. I understand the artistic choice as the narrator is hyperlexic (I didn't even know that was a thing.) It is like listening to a young adult/teen girl speak stream-of-consciousness. Annoying and too much. I think it would have been better if this book was from multiple points of view (like Miracle Creek.) Then, we would have pauses/breaths between all of Mia's thoughts.
As the book went on, I became increasingly interested in the ongoing story of her non-speaking brother, Eugene. Even though I have a son with ASD, I know very little about the world of non-speakers. Learning about the progress of therapies since the turn of this century was fascinating. The ramifications of trying to defend a child who can't tell their side of the story in our legal system were frightening. And with all this, we still had the mystery of what happened to the father.
Reading the reviews, I can see that some people could not get past their dislike of Mia and her wordiness. However, I'm glad I did. I hope the author's next book will be a bit easier to read.
As the book went on, I became increasingly interested in the ongoing story of her non-speaking brother, Eugene. Even though I have a son with ASD, I know very little about the world of non-speakers. Learning about the progress of therapies since the turn of this century was fascinating. The ramifications of trying to defend a child who can't tell their side of the story in our legal system were frightening. And with all this, we still had the mystery of what happened to the father.
Reading the reviews, I can see that some people could not get past their dislike of Mia and her wordiness. However, I'm glad I did. I hope the author's next book will be a bit easier to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Colonisation, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
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