Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was really well executed considering what a sensitive topic vaccines are these days, and I liked that it was set pre-pandemic. However, I found it a mentally tiring read, as it brought back a lot of the anxiety I felt during COVID.
I really hope this one doesn't get chosen for my book club, though, as I think it would be a very difficult discussion to navigate with people you don't know super well.
I really hope this one doesn't get chosen for my book club, though, as I think it would be a very difficult discussion to navigate with people you don't know super well.
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Interesting premise for a book, slightly predictable in places, but it was an engaging plot with interesting characters.
challenging
emotional
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An engaging thought provoking read that set out the nuances of the vaccination debate well through the plot device of two families on either side and a subsequent court case. Marked down slightly for the unsophisticated characterisation of most if the main characters - it would have been great to delve deeper into them and rounded them out further.
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m super impressed at how well Emily has written about the topical and controversial topic of vaccines. She is very clever in how she encompasses the spectrum of views on the topic. And allows space for the reader to consider each characters experiences.
The book is about about motherhood and the seemingly endless impossible choices you have to make to keep your children safe and also about friendship and family the lengths you go to keep connections.
From the start you know something terrible must have happened and you learn more as you go about the relationship between Elizabeth and Bry’s Families and what led to this. It read almost like a thriller to me I couldn’t put it down, I found it so engaging.
I thought it was brilliantly done hard to believe it was a debut and I really like the way she summed up the plot and ended it to.
A very important book that I hope lots of people will read to help us have more empathy around this topic and help spark more discussion around it to.
Also my favourite quote which has basically nothing to do with the story I just really want a dog…!
‘Since living with Claude, Jack finally understands why desperate people get dogs. Their love is so pure, so reliable, and so completely different from human love.’
The book is about about motherhood and the seemingly endless impossible choices you have to make to keep your children safe and also about friendship and family the lengths you go to keep connections.
From the start you know something terrible must have happened and you learn more as you go about the relationship between Elizabeth and Bry’s Families and what led to this. It read almost like a thriller to me I couldn’t put it down, I found it so engaging.
I thought it was brilliantly done hard to believe it was a debut and I really like the way she summed up the plot and ended it to.
A very important book that I hope lots of people will read to help us have more empathy around this topic and help spark more discussion around it to.
Also my favourite quote which has basically nothing to do with the story I just really want a dog…!
‘Since living with Claude, Jack finally understands why desperate people get dogs. Their love is so pure, so reliable, and so completely different from human love.’
Ooooh, that was good. If you love an emotive, moral dilemma (think Jodi Picoult), that divides not only opinion, but friends and familles, this one’s for you.
3.5⭐️
I enjoyed this but I don’t think the title links to the plot ?
I enjoyed this but I don’t think the title links to the plot ?
A fast-paced, engrossing book club read! I was worried when I found out this book featured the subject of vaccinations. Being from the deep south, a place famed for dismal vaccination rates and high skepticism regarding being told what to do by the government, I was worried regarding how the book would handle this topic. But I appreciated this book for not only being a quick and very yummily dramatic read (ooh la la!! so juicy!), but also the quieter perspectives of... just not knowing.
Famed sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke coined a set of 'laws' about the future, and his third one is this: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
This is not only true, but can explain how scary not knowing or understanding can be in the modern world. It is easy to be distrustful of big corporations, the government, and more when so often they do not hold the wider population's best interests in mind. I think the book did a nice job of portraying this--and particularly with how well it portrayed people's "I've made my mind up" attitude that almost every adult has in this day and age. We're all guilty of it, aren't we? It made me a little more thoughtful of my own stance, being the obvious Elizabeth IRL.
One star off for the characters being just a little too rich and privileged, and just generally insufferable and incommunicative. Also, what the heck was the deal with that old hippie sculptor? Did she even serve a purpose? However, in broad strokes I liked it! A snappy little number that provoked some real thought, which I always appreciate.
Famed sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke coined a set of 'laws' about the future, and his third one is this: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
This is not only true, but can explain how scary not knowing or understanding can be in the modern world. It is easy to be distrustful of big corporations, the government, and more when so often they do not hold the wider population's best interests in mind. I think the book did a nice job of portraying this--and particularly with how well it portrayed people's "I've made my mind up" attitude that almost every adult has in this day and age. We're all guilty of it, aren't we? It made me a little more thoughtful of my own stance, being the obvious Elizabeth IRL.
One star off for the characters being just a little too rich and privileged, and just generally insufferable and incommunicative. Also, what the heck was the deal with that old hippie sculptor? Did she even serve a purpose? However, in broad strokes I liked it! A snappy little number that provoked some real thought, which I always appreciate.