Take a photo of a barcode or cover
emotional
funny
reflective
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent
Minor: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
This book truly deserves all the praise it gets and more. If I could give it more than 5 stars I would because it was truly that perfect of a book. It has definitely become one of my top favorite books ever now and is probably tied for number one if I'm being honest.
I have never read any of TJ Klune's books before this one, but now I intend on reading many of them, but his style of writing is just so good and enjoyable. I could easily see him becoming my favorite author if all his books are written this way and contain such lovely stories.
The House in the Cerulean Sea was just so good. There were so many sweet moments in it and it was just such a comforting and relaxing read. I found the book hard to put down especially in the second half and I hated whenever I had to stop reading it.
The characters were all amazing and what made the book so perfect.
All the children were so adorable and charming in their own ways and were very memorable to me. I really enjoyed getting to know all of them throughout the book. Especially Lucy, I loved his character so much. He was so overdramatic and created so many funny moments (but also emotional ones as well).
Linus I grew to love so much and really care about his character. His development was great throughout the book, his interactions with the children were super sweet and it was cute to see him grow to care about them, and his interactions with Arthur were perfect as well. Speaking of Arthur I also loved him so much as well. He was the perfect father and caregiver to his little found family.
I am a huge fan of found family and this was honestly the sweetest example of found family. They started out so sweet already and seeing Linus find his place in this family was just such a beautiful thing to read.
I do wish there had been more romance in the book. I would love to have seen more of Linus and Arthur after they got together but that's really the only criticism I have.
Overall this book is just such a lovely and entertaining read. It will definitely be a story I reread in the future because I already find myself missing all these characters so much.
I have never read any of TJ Klune's books before this one, but now I intend on reading many of them, but his style of writing is just so good and enjoyable. I could easily see him becoming my favorite author if all his books are written this way and contain such lovely stories.
The House in the Cerulean Sea was just so good. There were so many sweet moments in it and it was just such a comforting and relaxing read. I found the book hard to put down especially in the second half and I hated whenever I had to stop reading it.
The characters were all amazing and what made the book so perfect.
All the children were so adorable and charming in their own ways and were very memorable to me. I really enjoyed getting to know all of them throughout the book. Especially Lucy, I loved his character so much. He was so overdramatic and created so many funny moments (but also emotional ones as well).
Linus I grew to love so much and really care about his character. His development was great throughout the book, his interactions with the children were super sweet and it was cute to see him grow to care about them, and his interactions with Arthur were perfect as well. Speaking of Arthur I also loved him so much as well. He was the perfect father and caregiver to his little found family.
I am a huge fan of found family and this was honestly the sweetest example of found family. They started out so sweet already and seeing Linus find his place in this family was just such a beautiful thing to read.
I do wish there had been more romance in the book. I would love to have seen more of Linus and Arthur after they got together but that's really the only criticism I have.
Overall this book is just such a lovely and entertaining read. It will definitely be a story I reread in the future because I already find myself missing all these characters so much.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry
All the abuse tags I added are mentioned in passing. There is no "on screen" abuse but many of the characters have backgrounds that feature abuse and these are addressed in the book.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization
Minor: Body shaming, Confinement, Physical abuse
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Racism, Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Forced institutionalization
Minor: Animal cruelty, Cannibalism
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia
Minor: Child abuse, Physical abuse
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Bullying, Physical abuse
Minor: Death, Blood
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
IT was a bit of a slow start for me but a very endearing book. once you get to know the characters the charm takes over and you're pulled into the world just like Linus. The message is a bit light and the story a bit saccharine but an enjoyable read. the romance is adorable and the characters very endearing.
Content Warnings
Minor: Physical abuse, Religious bigotry
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
I came into this book immensely hesitant. I'm not a fan of romance. I find most stories to be either be too quick with the development, or so slow I forget it was even a part of the book. And overall, it's just not my thing. Additionally, I'm a fan of horror and thriller stories. So, aside from the urban fantasy and found family aspects, I thought I wouldn't get much from a "lighthearted" and "romance" book. This was not helped by me finding the main character, Linus, to be a very different protagonist than I expected: A 40-something year old child service worker with a stuffy, distant attitude.
I teared up three times, and by the epilogue, my eyes were so wet I had to wipe them with a paper towel to be able to see the words on the screen.
I very rarely cry from any story. When I do, I know it has ensnared me. I also very rarely think about books in terms of "Boy, I really wish people would write fanfiction about this." So imagine my surprise when I read nearly seven chapters straight.
The romance isn't the main aspect of this story. The main love story is Linus taking on a fatherly role towards the children in the 'orphanage' and how those kids grow to love him. The way each character developed was so subtle I barely noticed how much had changed until the end.
One complaint I had while reading this story was, "How is this described as lighthearted and middle-school reading?" The story almost feels dystopian at first. A society blatantly prejudiced against the supernatural, going as far as to harm children in its hatred. I'm a black, trans-masc person, so some parts of this story took me by such surprise that I was actually uncomfortable.
But that's not an actually a complaint. By the end of the story, I understood. It's a story about overcoming your own bigotry, learning from people you never expected to interact with (much less care for), and taking the first steps in changing society. Parts of this story gets dark, but I would happily hand this book to a pre-teen.
This story literally made me feel brighter. It made me more confident about choosing the best path in my life, no matter what society says it should be.
I teared up three times, and by the epilogue, my eyes were so wet I had to wipe them with a paper towel to be able to see the words on the screen.
I very rarely cry from any story. When I do, I know it has ensnared me. I also very rarely think about books in terms of "Boy, I really wish people would write fanfiction about this." So imagine my surprise when I read nearly seven chapters straight.
The romance isn't the main aspect of this story. The main love story is Linus taking on a fatherly role towards the children in the 'orphanage' and how those kids grow to love him. The way each character developed was so subtle I barely noticed how much had changed until the end.
One complaint I had while reading this story was, "How is this described as lighthearted and middle-school reading?" The story almost feels dystopian at first. A society blatantly prejudiced against the supernatural, going as far as to harm children in its hatred. I'm a black, trans-masc person, so some parts of this story took me by such surprise that I was actually uncomfortable.
But that's not an actually a complaint. By the end of the story, I understood. It's a story about overcoming your own bigotry, learning from people you never expected to interact with (much less care for), and taking the first steps in changing society. Parts of this story gets dark, but I would happily hand this book to a pre-teen.
This story literally made me feel brighter. It made me more confident about choosing the best path in my life, no matter what society says it should be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Cursing, Murder
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Fatphobia, Physical abuse
Minor: Suicide
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
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
i want to properly review this (and maybe will in the future) but no words for it rn
it was so....warm? i genuinely loved all of the characters and i felt like i knew them. the story was so bright and vivid and wonderful.
rated this a 4 over a 5 because although this was fantastic, i didn't feel as invested in the love story between linus and arthur - it just didn't feel overly convincing to me and i wish there was some more build up. as this is a pretty large part of the story it did hinder my enjoyment of that aspect a little!im
it was so....warm? i genuinely loved all of the characters and i felt like i knew them. the story was so bright and vivid and wonderful.
rated this a 4 over a 5 because although this was fantastic, i didn't feel as invested in the love story between linus and arthur - it just didn't feel overly convincing to me and i wish there was some more build up. as this is a pretty large part of the story it did hinder my enjoyment of that aspect a little!im
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Physical abuse