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emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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:
Complicated
The characters and Eddie’s experience really make you reflect on your own life, and I also love the authors writing style and how he formatted the book. I also loved the ending and how everything tied up in the end with the little girl, it truly hit me square in the chest. It was a lot. Like I had to sit there for like a minute to just process what I just read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, War
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death, Infertility, Terminal illness, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Slavery, Kidnapping, Grief, War
Moderate: Infertility
inspiring
reflective
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:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, War
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
"the world is full of stories but the stories are all one"—The straightforward way of narrating the story to introduce a lesson on why we live and what we live for, as if tracing the dots, you realize it all happened for a reason when you look back. The different angles; sacrifice, forgiveness, then unveiling it to find a purpose; that your life wasn't a waste, you made a difference. It was striking to put it with the backward format of the novel, which began from the ending. It makes you think about life in general, because all of your suppression, hatred, denial, and emotions reveal how you have been living your life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Terminal illness, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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
i am so glad i finally read this book. it has been on my TBR since i read Tuesdays with Morrie, and it was just as inspiring and provoking. it made me do a lot of reflecting on my own life, and challenged me to think about how i could do better, how i could forgive others, and just how i want to live my life overall. sometimes, we just aren't supposed to understand our purpose, and that's okay. this book taught me a lot about being a human, and i loved every second of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Car accident, Death of parent, War
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Five People You Meet in Heaven was not for me.
Found it hard to sympathize with Eddie. I normally like characters that can be hard to root for, but Eddie didn’t fit the bill. The more people he met in heaven to explain his life, the more irritated I got with Eddie. His life goes against many of my own morals and maybe that’s why. I tried to keep an open mind and meet the books end to understand the character better but it didn’t happen.
The way this book makes you see the “good side” of abusive and shitty people is absolutely gross. What was especially out of touch was Ruby telling Eddie to forgive his father when she is a total stranger to him and his situation . His father was abusive and self righteous. This is one of the morals that contradict mine. Forgiveness isn’t necessary to move on. Also Eddie’s mom was in the middle of being sexually assaulted and somehow his father ended up being the victim but also a good guy because he forgave the person who was doing it?? Like yeah I get message. People are complicated. However. there is absolutely a better way of showing that than what the author went with.
The writing was simple. Nothing spectacular about it. It is interesting to read a piece of fiction by someone who primarily works in non-fiction. It really reads in the writing style. I do think this story could’ve been shorter and I’m glad it wasn’t longer.
Ending was predictable and exactly what I thought it’d be. Does that make it bad? No. But it’s adds to the lack of memorability of this book.
I really wanted to like this book and I had expectations going into it. Maybe that contributed to my disappointment in it.
Side note: I also did not appreciate how the little child was described at the end of the book and it turned my mood sour for it.
Found it hard to sympathize with Eddie. I normally like characters that can be hard to root for, but Eddie didn’t fit the bill. The more people he met in heaven to explain his life, the more irritated I got with Eddie. His life goes against many of my own morals and maybe that’s why. I tried to keep an open mind and meet the books end to understand the character better but it didn’t happen.
The way this book makes you see the “good side” of abusive and shitty people is absolutely gross. What was especially out of touch was Ruby telling Eddie to forgive his father when she is a total stranger to him and his situation . His father was abusive and self righteous. This is one of the morals that contradict mine. Forgiveness isn’t necessary to move on.
The writing was simple. Nothing spectacular about it. It is interesting to read a piece of fiction by someone who primarily works in non-fiction. It really reads in the writing style. I do think this story could’ve been shorter and I’m glad it wasn’t longer.
Ending
I really wanted to like this book and I had expectations going into it. Maybe that contributed to my disappointment in it.
Side note: I also did not appreciate how the little child was described at the end of the book and it turned my mood sour for it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Death of parent, War
Moderate: Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Sexual harassment