You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
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:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-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
This book will change your life.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
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
Minor: Death, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.25/5
Although there are admittedly some problems/strange aspects about this book (such as how the money revelation at the end was incredibly weird and undercut one of the main messages of the story), most of the negative reviews I've seen are simply ableist. So maybe reflect on that!
Although there are admittedly some problems/strange aspects about this book (such as how the money revelation at the end was incredibly weird and undercut one of the main messages of the story), most of the negative reviews I've seen are simply ableist. So maybe reflect on that!
3.5/5 stars
THIS book was better than I thought it would be but I still found a few things wrong with it. The story follows Willow, a twelve year old genius reeling from the tragic loss of her parents. I really enjoyed the parts of the story which surrounded her grief and the reaction of someone so young to a loss so huge. I think those parts were really well done. I also really enjoyed the variety of characters and felt that they were realistic and did not feel fake.
A lot of the time I disliked Willow's narration. Her observations, which were under the guise of 'genius trying to understand the world' felt a lot like an adult writer using this platform to complain about teenagers and other people. Like 'Willow' doesn't understand the way teenagers dress and behave. 'Willow' is confused by the school experience because she is above it. Reading these things didn't seem like something a genius would be concerned with if that makes sense. It felt like an adult author being like "I hate it when kids wear modern clothes so Willow hates it too".
I also think that the perspectives changed far too frequently between and even during chapters. There were a lot of characters and I found it to be a really odd choice that Willow's chapters were in first person and everyone else's were in third. It didn't make sense to me and I honestly found it really annoying which is part of the reason this isn't getting a higher rating from me.
I enjoyed this book and it is a really quick read. Once I sat down and committed to it, I was done in a few hours. I didn't cry at the end (although a lot of people would) but I found it to be very sweet. Definitely worth the read- I'm curious as to whether other people are annoyed by the same things in it that I was.
THIS book was better than I thought it would be but I still found a few things wrong with it. The story follows Willow, a twelve year old genius reeling from the tragic loss of her parents. I really enjoyed the parts of the story which surrounded her grief and the reaction of someone so young to a loss so huge. I think those parts were really well done. I also really enjoyed the variety of characters and felt that they were realistic and did not feel fake.
A lot of the time I disliked Willow's narration. Her observations, which were under the guise of 'genius trying to understand the world' felt a lot like an adult writer using this platform to complain about teenagers and other people. Like 'Willow' doesn't understand the way teenagers dress and behave. 'Willow' is confused by the school experience because she is above it. Reading these things didn't seem like something a genius would be concerned with if that makes sense. It felt like an adult author being like "I hate it when kids wear modern clothes so Willow hates it too".
I also think that the perspectives changed far too frequently between and even during chapters. There were a lot of characters and I found it to be a really odd choice that Willow's chapters were in first person and everyone else's were in third. It didn't make sense to me and I honestly found it really annoying which is part of the reason this isn't getting a higher rating from me.
I enjoyed this book and it is a really quick read. Once I sat down and committed to it, I was done in a few hours. I didn't cry at the end (although a lot of people would) but I found it to be very sweet. Definitely worth the read- I'm curious as to whether other people are annoyed by the same things in it that I was.
I really enjoyed this read, I love when seemingly irredeemable characters are given a chance to grow. I was going to complain that going from living in a garage to buying an apartment building sounded highly unrealistic, but Sloan actually addressed that in the Q&A at the end of the book!
I have heard a lot about this book so I purchased it about a month ago but just finally started...and finished it today. What a great book...
Willow is a bit quirky...some might and do call her a genius. She finds it hard to fit in and make friends and instead surrounds herself with her plants. Her life, however, is totally uprooted when both her parents die in a car accident. With no relatives or even close family friends she has no place to go. But, she is taken in by a Vietnamese family in cahoots with her school guidance counselor. Can Willow ever find herself again? Can she ever feel that she belongs?
This was a really good story. I enjoyed it a lot!!
Willow is a bit quirky...some might and do call her a genius. She finds it hard to fit in and make friends and instead surrounds herself with her plants. Her life, however, is totally uprooted when both her parents die in a car accident. With no relatives or even close family friends she has no place to go. But, she is taken in by a Vietnamese family in cahoots with her school guidance counselor. Can Willow ever find herself again? Can she ever feel that she belongs?
This was a really good story. I enjoyed it a lot!!
Read this for the first time years ago, came back to it and found a sweet found family story. The main character is a genius 12 year old who was just lost her parents, and explores her readjusting to life. Not super deep and the main character is slightly Mary sue like, but decently written and well worth the read, especially for younger children. Endings good as long as you forget the entire first half of the book, otherwise it undermines much of the point it’s trying to make.
Loved this book so much! So wonderfully written and I loved all the characters.