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maralrose's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
buttermellow's review
informative
lighthearted
fast-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Bullying
jessthanthree's review
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying and Panic attacks/disorders
imstephtacular's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism and Bullying
lettuce_read's review
challenging
funny
lighthearted
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Bullying
flordemaga's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.5
A lovely, heartfelt story. My main problem with it is that I wish Lara and Caroline's voices were a little more distinct, to help tell which one's mind we're in, especially because their names have similar sounds.
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying and Ableism
erinsbookshelves's review
funny
lighthearted
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying and Ableism
valereads's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
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
4.0
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I've seen this book shelved in a few places as a mystery. To be clear this is not a mystery novel. This delightful middle grade family drama follows a pair of autistic sisters: 12 year old Lara and 11 year old Caroline. It switches POV between the two girls.
Lara is an amateur detective who soon finds herself investigating her own family members and uncovering some unexpected secrets. Meanwhile Caroline is starting middle school and wanting more independence from her older sister.
As an autistic person, I really appreciated the autistic representation in this story. This is the first time I've read a book about a non-speaking autistic person and it was very exciting to see Caroline portrayed as a nuanced character who has to deal with being stereotyped based on the fact that she is non-speaking. I also appreciated all the little references to neurodivergence such as characters stimming and references to other family members being neurodivergent.
This line particularly struck me: "She always found it comforting to see her movements, so often mocked by other kids, in other people. In that way she was definitely lucky to have her family. As far as Caroline could tell, not being autistic of having ADHD was weird for the Rosanes-Finkel family."
This book was also interesting to me learning a bit more about Judaism. I really appreciated being able to read a book about a Jewish family. I also liked the way it was tied into the story with the emotional climax of Lara's story taking place on Rosh Hashanah and how a sermon at synagogue affected Lara's choices in the resolution.
Overall I found this to be a charming and delightful book about family and forgiveness. I would recommend this novel to all readers especially younger ones, autistic or not.
I've seen this book shelved in a few places as a mystery. To be clear this is not a mystery novel. This delightful middle grade family drama follows a pair of autistic sisters: 12 year old Lara and 11 year old Caroline. It switches POV between the two girls.
Lara is an amateur detective who soon finds herself investigating her own family members and uncovering some unexpected secrets. Meanwhile Caroline is starting middle school and wanting more independence from her older sister.
As an autistic person, I really appreciated the autistic representation in this story. This is the first time I've read a book about a non-speaking autistic person and it was very exciting to see Caroline portrayed as a nuanced character who has to deal with being stereotyped based on the fact that she is non-speaking. I also appreciated all the little references to neurodivergence such as characters stimming and references to other family members being neurodivergent.
This line particularly struck me: "She always found it comforting to see her movements, so often mocked by other kids, in other people. In that way she was definitely lucky to have her family. As far as Caroline could tell, not being autistic of having ADHD was weird for the Rosanes-Finkel family."
This book was also interesting to me learning a bit more about Judaism. I really appreciated being able to read a book about a Jewish family. I also liked the way it was tied into the story with the emotional climax of Lara's story taking place on Rosh Hashanah and how a sermon at synagogue affected Lara's choices in the resolution.
Overall I found this to be a charming and delightful book about family and forgiveness. I would recommend this novel to all readers especially younger ones, autistic or not.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism and Bullying
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