Reviews

See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles

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catcervone's review against another edition

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4.0

Aw this was sweet. Not incredibly memorable, but a good read.

bookworm0302's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

This is my new crying book! It was so heartbreaking, but so amazing. I made the mistake of reading it before school and I sobbed. You should definitely read it if you’re ready to be torn apart. Kidding. It’s very sad though.

michalice's review against another edition

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5.0

I have had See You At Harry's on my radar since I first saw it on goodreads last year. When I saw it had been picked up by a UK publisher and I had the chance to review it I jumped at the chance. I quickly finished my current read and made a start on this book. I went into this not knowing what to expect, only that it had an ice cream shop in it. Before I get to the review I want to say how much I lvoe this cover. The picture does not do it justice, the actually glass on the cover has a transparent texture over it like it is really a glass and not just a plain cover.

The following review is going to be unconventional as I don't want to spoil the book for you. With not knowing what to expect I was absolutely heartbroken when something happened, like ugly snot crying, sobbing my heart out tears

, this book should come with a 'tissues needed' warning.

See You At Harry's follows Fern, the protagonist, and her family, her parents and siblings Holden, Sara, and Charlie as they go about their daily life, working at Harry's Ice Cream Parlour, going to school, and basically being your average family. From the minute I met Fern I instantly liked her, she is sarcastic, spunky, yet wears her heart on her sleeve, especially in regards to her brother Holden. Her family is hectic but fun, they are down to earth and dealing with real life issues. One of their main concerns is making sure Harry's is popular and continues to thrive, her Dad's way of doing this is video promotions and family shoots wearing ridiculous neon t-shirts.

The author has a way of drawing you into this family's crazy life, giving you a birds eye view and making you feel settled and part of the family, then drags the rug out from under your feet and BAM, you find yourself an emotional wreck. This is where my review begins to get vague.

See You At Harry's is a deceiving book, it lulls you into a false sense of security, then as soon as I hit near the halfway mark I cried... a lot, and not the nice crying, the sobbing, non-stop tears, big ugly crying cry photo cry.gif

. My heart was broken, I could not believe what had happened, I was in shock and disbelief, thinking that everything would be OK and it wasn't. The feelings of grief and shock are easily portrayed by the characters and just as easily affected me. I tried so hard not to cry, and when it began it didn't stop. I then tried to hide it from my boyfriend who was sitting in the same room as me, and failed at that too. Even now, a week after reading this book I can't believe what happened.

See You At Harry's is a fantastic book that I would recommend to others, along with a tissue recommendation too.

mischief_in_the_library's review against another edition

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5.0

I wasn't sure if this book might be a little too young for me, given that the main character is 12 years old, but the simpler language and world view made the events more heartbreaking and emotional and real than if they had been described more poetically. By the end, I was feeling a bit jealous I didn't have a couple more siblings to dote on :P

jennymock's review against another edition

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5.0

I don't think I've ever cried so much while reading a book. Make sure you have a box of tissues when you read this.

jessethereader's review against another edition

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4.0

Such an emotional story!

alboyer6's review against another edition

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4.0

Another book that made me laugh and made me cry. Well written story of love and loss and how families get through it together. My one quibble, I've never heard of middle schoolers joining in on high school homecoming dances.