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readwithmeemz's review
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.5
4.5 Stars
This is a tender and meditative coming-of-age story about grief and loss, what comes after. When our main character loses his best friend, he puts his life on hold, until one day he is at a cafe, and someone sits beside him… That someone is Haru, a “missed connection” from over a year ago that he met on a whirlwind, romantic day… The only catch is that no one else can see him.
This was a tearjerker, and often in unexpected ways. It chronicles our protagonist growing up, trying to live his life, and making decisions shaped by his grief, his desire to move through it, and also his age as a young adult shaped by love and loss and heartbreak, while also trying to grow up and discover who he is. I knew it was going to be sad, but wasn’t expecting the emotional GUT PUNCH that comes near the end (I was literally crying on the train).
I’m really impressed with Thao’s writing. Book 2 is just as strong as book 1 (You’ve Reached Sam), with a lot of the same appeal. Both are sweet and beautiful stories of grief and love, and although a lot happened in Haru, Thao keeps it tight and everything kind of makes sense. It’s a confusing and kind of messy story for our character, mirroring our confusing and kind of messy journeys through grief.
My one qualm is that we don’t see that much development or layers or personality from most of our characters, even some of the more central ones who occupy a lot of the story (Jasmine, Haru, Daniel). Our main character Eric too, felt a bit removed from us as readers - like there was almost a layer of numbness or a wall in between us (who were inside his head), and what he was feeling. I could be generous and say that it’s a really powerful meta comparison to the numbness people who are depressed or grieving may feel, but I don’t know that it was that. Thao’s creating a great body of work that does well exploring love and grief and teenage feelings, with some sort of genre-bending or magical realism twist. The stories are great - tender, melancholic, romantic, but I hope as he matures as a writer, we see a bit *more*. He’s definitely a writer I’m excited to see grow, and excited to continue reading!
I received an advanced reading copy of this book, from the publisher, in exchange for my honest feedback.
This is a tender and meditative coming-of-age story about grief and loss, what comes after. When our main character loses his best friend, he puts his life on hold, until one day he is at a cafe, and someone sits beside him… That someone is Haru, a “missed connection” from over a year ago that he met on a whirlwind, romantic day… The only catch is that no one else can see him.
This was a tearjerker, and often in unexpected ways. It chronicles our protagonist growing up, trying to live his life, and making decisions shaped by his grief, his desire to move through it, and also his age as a young adult shaped by love and loss and heartbreak, while also trying to grow up and discover who he is. I knew it was going to be sad, but wasn’t expecting the emotional GUT PUNCH that comes near the end (I was literally crying on the train).
I’m really impressed with Thao’s writing. Book 2 is just as strong as book 1 (You’ve Reached Sam), with a lot of the same appeal. Both are sweet and beautiful stories of grief and love, and although a lot happened in Haru, Thao keeps it tight and everything kind of makes sense. It’s a confusing and kind of messy story for our character, mirroring our confusing and kind of messy journeys through grief.
My one qualm is that we don’t see that much development or layers or personality from most of our characters, even some of the more central ones who occupy a lot of the story (Jasmine, Haru, Daniel). Our main character Eric too, felt a bit removed from us as readers - like there was almost a layer of numbness or a wall in between us (who were inside his head), and what he was feeling. I could be generous and say that it’s a really powerful meta comparison to the numbness people who are depressed or grieving may feel, but I don’t know that it was that. Thao’s creating a great body of work that does well exploring love and grief and teenage feelings, with some sort of genre-bending or magical realism twist. The stories are great - tender, melancholic, romantic, but I hope as he matures as a writer, we see a bit *more*. He’s definitely a writer I’m excited to see grow, and excited to continue reading!
I received an advanced reading copy of this book, from the publisher, in exchange for my honest feedback.
lilxbrowneyez's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
When Haru Was Here, pulled on my heartstrings pretty hard, and it didn't let go until I finished the book. There were some moments where I was unsure about what was going on without our main character, if he was imagining everything that was happening to him. This was my first book that I've read by Dustin Thao, I have seen his other book but I haven't read it. Now, I will go back and read his other book. I've heard his other book is similar to When Haru Was Here. I may not be ready to have my heartstrings tugged at again for a little bit. I would recommend this book.
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