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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
I just. I can't...This was...oh my glob, so damn good! So crazy, flippin' awesomely awesome. I want to take this book out on a date, meet its' parents, get married, grow old and die with it - The Notebook style.
Where to start? Five or six years ago, Benji's father Big Eddie died in a car accident under some questionable circumstances and now Benji is devastated and lost in his grief. At the moment he decides he can't go on any longer a light falls from the sky and Benji meets Calliel.
Benji's love for his dad is equally as important and inextricably linked to his interactions with Cal. The father/son dynamic here is so wonderful. Big Eddie was more than his dad, he was his best friend and the center of his universe. I completely felt Benji's love and grief. It bears repeating that I don't know if I have read a parent & child relationship as beautiful as this. At least not lately.
Cal helps Benji find answers to his father's death and along the way shows him that it is possible to live a life of grace and beauty even when it seems like absolutely everything has been taken from him. Cal is big, bold protector and gleeful, child-like wonder. Cal loves unreservedly and completely and I didn't even try to hold back all the squishy lovey feelings I had for him.
The cast of characters here are so great. Abe, the 62 year old best friend. The three aunts known as The Trio. Pretty much the whole town. Even the sketchy sheriff.
I enjoyed every second of this book. There was so much grief and joy and loss and love. I guarantee I'll be giving this a reread.
Where to start? Five or six years ago, Benji's father Big Eddie died in a car accident under some questionable circumstances and now Benji is devastated and lost in his grief. At the moment he decides he can't go on any longer a light falls from the sky and Benji meets Calliel.
"This is the story of my love for two men. One is my father. The other is a man who fell from the sky."
Benji's love for his dad is equally as important and inextricably linked to his interactions with Cal. The father/son dynamic here is so wonderful. Big Eddie was more than his dad, he was his best friend and the center of his universe. I completely felt Benji's love and grief. It bears repeating that I don't know if I have read a parent & child relationship as beautiful as this. At least not lately.
Cal helps Benji find answers to his father's death and along the way shows him that it is possible to live a life of grace and beauty even when it seems like absolutely everything has been taken from him. Cal is big, bold protector and gleeful, child-like wonder. Cal loves unreservedly and completely and I didn't even try to hold back all the squishy lovey feelings I had for him.
The cast of characters here are so great. Abe, the 62 year old best friend. The three aunts known as The Trio. Pretty much the whole town. Even the sketchy sheriff.
I enjoyed every second of this book. There was so much grief and joy and loss and love. I guarantee I'll be giving this a reread.
I have no idea how to rate this book because I have no idea what it’s overall intent was.
Although I’m well aware this story is largely about grief, about a son almost torn apart by the loss of his father, there were things about this book that made it impossible for me to take it seriously.
Between the over the top plot twist of who was selling drugs in their town, the convenient way these villains were dealt with, and some of the silly quotes in this book... I just didn’t know what to make of it. It felt like it was trying to be realistic and at the same time not.
Plus, it was soooo long!!! This book didn’t need to be this long. So many scenes could’ve been cut out and the core of the story would’ve remained the same.
Ultimately, I remain conflicted. I don’t know how I feel about this book. There were things I enjoyed, but there were also things that felt ridiculous. When a book leaves me this torn, I prefer not to rate it at all.
Although I’m well aware this story is largely about grief, about a son almost torn apart by the loss of his father, there were things about this book that made it impossible for me to take it seriously.
Between the over the top plot twist of who was selling drugs in their town, the convenient way these villains were dealt with, and some of the silly quotes in this book... I just didn’t know what to make of it. It felt like it was trying to be realistic and at the same time not.
Plus, it was soooo long!!! This book didn’t need to be this long. So many scenes could’ve been cut out and the core of the story would’ve remained the same.
Ultimately, I remain conflicted. I don’t know how I feel about this book. There were things I enjoyed, but there were also things that felt ridiculous. When a book leaves me this torn, I prefer not to rate it at all.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Look, there are points in this book that are 5 stars and others where I question whether I can give a book a negative rating. I will admit that some of these issues are due to me being a dumbass and not fully reading the description of a book, so I ended up with a subject I'm not a fan of - angels (I am 100% all about those demons though.) That's on me, I take full responsibility for my actions and my either illiteracy or lack of reading comprehension. So if you're about that Angel life, have at it. You'll probably enjoy this but be warned it gets more religious-y than I was expecting towards the end of the book.
Most of the characters are delightful, I felt emotionally attached to these people in this small town who are just trying to protect their own and I was rooting for them. Overall, it's a good story about grief and the love between a father and son but it gets repetitive at times and I feel like a solid 100 pages could have been dropped from this and it would have been great.
SPOILER WARNING RANT AHEAD!!! SPOILER WARNING
Now to the point where I talk shit about this book because OH MY GOD!!!!
Fuck Benji! Every person in this book has to deal with the dumb bullshit because "Oh my god, I lost my dad...no one understands me- woe is me." His mother lost her husband and most likely her parents at her age, his best friend lost his wife, everyone in this town has lost someone but his selfish, bratty, dumb bitch ass can't stop worshipping his dead father long enough to remove his head out of his ass to see that! I get it. Grief. The love between a father and son. But seriously? A choice had to be made to either save his father or humanity and the appropriate choice was made and he got mad about it? Really?!?
Half the shit that happens in this book could have been prevented if he either shut the hell up or told someone. "Oh, this person hates me and wants to kill me and I have his name - but I'm not going to call the appropriate person who can handle the situation." "Oooh, rather than telling the appropriate person to handle the situation, I'm going to tell the person who wants me dead that the FBI are keeping watch on him so that I can get that person who could have helped me killed later." "Oh yeah, I should let someone else know what's going on, maybe leave a post it note if I end up dead so everyone can be informed … but I won't." "Better yet, when I keep getting asked who else I told - even though they don't believe me- I'm not going to lie to save my friend. Lol." BENJI PROBABLY HELPED KILL MORE PEOPLE, THAN ACTUAL KILLINGS BY THE VILLIANS!!!
There are parts where my heart goes out to him and others where I am holding back screams of rage because I can not strangle him myself. Around the 74% mark every page has a note about how much I can't stand Benji, I nearly DNF'd at the 95% mark because I did not think I could go on anymore. It took me hours to finish the book. I could rant about this man for hours. Yet I am still giving this 3 stars and I don't know whhhhhy!!!!
Also is their a disability/disorder version of the "magical negro" trope? Don't get me wrong, I appreciate Nina because she said what needed to be said but that felt like it came so far out of left field that I audibly said "I- What?".
Shout outs:
Lola - For being an amazing mom with a dumb ass of a child. I am so sorry, sweetie.
Abe - Best boy. Deserved better.
The truck - It was so cherry.
Gabriel - I would torment myself with another angel book for him and he had less than 4 sentences in the entire book.
Most of the characters are delightful, I felt emotionally attached to these people in this small town who are just trying to protect their own and I was rooting for them. Overall, it's a good story about grief and the love between a father and son but it gets repetitive at times and I feel like a solid 100 pages could have been dropped from this and it would have been great.
SPOILER WARNING RANT AHEAD!!! SPOILER WARNING
Now to the point where I talk shit about this book because OH MY GOD!!!!
Fuck Benji! Every person in this book has to deal with the dumb bullshit because "Oh my god, I lost my dad...no one understands me- woe is me." His mother lost her husband and most likely her parents at her age, his best friend lost his wife, everyone in this town has lost someone but his selfish, bratty, dumb bitch ass can't stop worshipping his dead father long enough to remove his head out of his ass to see that! I get it. Grief. The love between a father and son. But seriously? A choice had to be made to either save his father or humanity and the appropriate choice was made and he got mad about it? Really?!?
Half the shit that happens in this book could have been prevented if he either shut the hell up or told someone. "Oh, this person hates me and wants to kill me and I have his name - but I'm not going to call the appropriate person who can handle the situation." "Oooh, rather than telling the appropriate person to handle the situation, I'm going to tell the person who wants me dead that the FBI are keeping watch on him so that I can get that person who could have helped me killed later." "Oh yeah, I should let someone else know what's going on, maybe leave a post it note if I end up dead so everyone can be informed … but I won't." "Better yet, when I keep getting asked who else I told - even though they don't believe me- I'm not going to lie to save my friend. Lol." BENJI PROBABLY HELPED KILL MORE PEOPLE, THAN ACTUAL KILLINGS BY THE VILLIANS!!!
There are parts where my heart goes out to him and others where I am holding back screams of rage because I can not strangle him myself. Around the 74% mark every page has a note about how much I can't stand Benji, I nearly DNF'd at the 95% mark because I did not think I could go on anymore. It took me hours to finish the book. I could rant about this man for hours. Yet I am still giving this 3 stars and I don't know whhhhhy!!!!
Also is their a disability/disorder version of the "magical negro" trope? Don't get me wrong, I appreciate Nina because she said what needed to be said but that felt like it came so far out of left field that I audibly said "I- What?".
Shout outs:
Lola - For being an amazing mom with a dumb ass of a child. I am so sorry, sweetie.
Abe - Best boy. Deserved better.
The truck - It was so cherry.
Gabriel - I would torment myself with another angel book for him and he had less than 4 sentences in the entire book.
We get it, dude - you loved your father, who was just about perfect. Way too much angst in this novel and too much repetition of the main theme. Needed more Cal and Benji interaction, and less father-worship.
Normally I don't review books that I think are good quality that I couldn't get through - different tastes and all that. But this book...
This book is brilliantly written. But as I got further into it, I started to hate it. Nothing happened. And, as wordy and descriptive as the book is, I really got no feel for the main character. I knew things about him, and that he was having a hard time with...pretty much everything. But I hardly knew him as a person. Realizing this is what made me put it down.
I stuck it out until the angel showed up, to see if things would perk up some, but then he started giving a lesson on religion that felt preachy (no pun) and I gave up.
The dialogue was wonderful in parts and had me laughing out loud, but there was too little of it.
And some oddity with the print book I ended up with from the library...the text was way too close to the gutter of the book, so I had to hold it wide open to keep from losing words.
Disappointed. Such wonderful reviews, too. But I don't have 2 months to slowly work my way through the book.
This book is brilliantly written. But as I got further into it, I started to hate it. Nothing happened. And, as wordy and descriptive as the book is, I really got no feel for the main character. I knew things about him, and that he was having a hard time with...pretty much everything. But I hardly knew him as a person. Realizing this is what made me put it down.
I stuck it out until the angel showed up, to see if things would perk up some, but then he started giving a lesson on religion that felt preachy (no pun) and I gave up.
The dialogue was wonderful in parts and had me laughing out loud, but there was too little of it.
And some oddity with the print book I ended up with from the library...the text was way too close to the gutter of the book, so I had to hold it wide open to keep from losing words.
Disappointed. Such wonderful reviews, too. But I don't have 2 months to slowly work my way through the book.