Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James by Ashley Herring Blake

7 reviews

greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Addiction, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Homophobia, Death of parent, Medical content, and Outing

thisbookisbananas's review

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

What an absolutely beautiful middle grade book. I’d be lying if said this didn’t make me cry in about 3 different places. Ugly crying. Where it hurts your chest. (Darn you, middle grade!)

In this novel, we follow Sunny St. James in a pivotal time in her life— the summer before sixth grade. 

We watch Sunny navigate a non-existent parent re-enter her life, crushes and a quest to be kissed, being hurt by her childhood best friend, discovering who she truly is, and she is recuperating from a heart transplant! By the end of the book we get resolutions to many of the issues, and Sunny’s growth as a character is satisfying. 

However,the pacing and reveals felt a little disjointed. There were frequent moments of lulls in the plot and then non-stop angst.
That being said, I realize I am not the intended audience for this book. I can easily see 12-15 (maybe even 16-17?)year olds being captivated and feeling very seen as they read this book. 
I’m so glad I read this. I look forward to reading more from this author.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Outing

Minor: Abandonment and Alcoholism

a_sleepy_berry's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

I read this when I was younger and it is definitely a comfort book even though I cry like a baby every time I read it

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Alcoholism, and Abandonment

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

kayladaila's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment

Moderate: Chronic illness and Lesbophobia

Minor: Alcoholism, Addiction, Bullying, Medical content, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Biphobia

torikate7's review against another edition

emotional 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

5.0

Once again, Ashley Herring Blake’s writing is so beautiful it makes my heart hurt. A beautiful story of a young girl navigating all the complexities and challenges of being 12, made even more complicated by her recent heart surgery. A wonderful read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Biphobia, and Medical content

Moderate: Alcoholism and Bullying

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Death of parent, Homophobia, and Car accident

innastholiel's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Lesbophobia, Outing, Homophobia, Biphobia, Medical content, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Alcoholism and Blood

Minor: Death of parent and Panic attacks/disorders

hollybollybingbong's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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

4.5

This book was so wholesome, I love Ashley Herring Blake's books a lot. They were the books I wish I had when I was 12-13 and questioning my sexuality, and I hope that they'll really help whichever person picks them up next. I wasn't as invested in this one as Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World, but I still think that it's a brilliant book :)

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment and Outing

Minor: Homophobia, Bullying, and Panic attacks/disorders