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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this novel!
I found this to be a beautifully written book. Darcy Wells is a teenage girl whose life is ruled by her mother's hoarding. She only trusts one person in her life to help her, and that is her best friend, Marisol. However, as her senior year progresses, changes are coming. Her life is shaken up by changes in the apartment complex where she lives, unexpected secrets coming to light as well. And then there's Asher Fleet, the handsome, mysterious new friend with a past.
The prose is lovely, and pulled me in immediately. I felt as if I knew the characters of the book, and they tugged at me. I felt the growth of the characters, the strong friendships. I didn't want to put it down.
I found this to be a beautifully written book. Darcy Wells is a teenage girl whose life is ruled by her mother's hoarding. She only trusts one person in her life to help her, and that is her best friend, Marisol. However, as her senior year progresses, changes are coming. Her life is shaken up by changes in the apartment complex where she lives, unexpected secrets coming to light as well. And then there's Asher Fleet, the handsome, mysterious new friend with a past.
The prose is lovely, and pulled me in immediately. I felt as if I knew the characters of the book, and they tugged at me. I felt the growth of the characters, the strong friendships. I didn't want to put it down.
emotional
hopeful
slow-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
funny
relaxing
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
Writing style is too quirky and I find the plot to be very…not smooth sailing?
I think it’s weird how the mother’s behavior is allowed by all the other characters.
I think it’s weird how the mother’s behavior is allowed by all the other characters.
I received this as an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Darcy spends her life in books, which help her escape from her difficult reality. Her mother is a hoarder and Darcy works hard to keep the severity of this problem a secret. While her mother saw a therapist once, Darcy uses the information she gained from that one session to direct all of her actions, like not upsetting the hoarder and in turn causing more hoarding. Darcy is desperate for her mother to get better, but she doesn't actually believe she will. Instead, Darcy keeps their apartment management out of their unit and makes sure that her grandmother, who frequently threatens to remove her from the home, doesn't find out. However, new management is taking over their apartment building and they are becoming more and more insistent about getting into the unit. Darcy's job at the local bookstore allows her to save a bit for college and pay household expenses. While working, she meets cute and broody Asher, who was recently in an accident and lost his ability to fly airplanes. It is through their budding relationship that the two find ways to heal.
This book did try to bring in difficult issues and work through them. However, I didn't really like how the issues manifested through Darcy, probably because I never truly liked Darcy. I was taken in by some of the supporting characters, like the bookseller and his ex-wife, as well as Asher. I think that this toes the line on how it presents hoarders, though, I am not a member of this community, so perhaps it is spot on. I will read more books by this author.
Darcy spends her life in books, which help her escape from her difficult reality. Her mother is a hoarder and Darcy works hard to keep the severity of this problem a secret. While her mother saw a therapist once, Darcy uses the information she gained from that one session to direct all of her actions, like not upsetting the hoarder and in turn causing more hoarding. Darcy is desperate for her mother to get better, but she doesn't actually believe she will. Instead, Darcy keeps their apartment management out of their unit and makes sure that her grandmother, who frequently threatens to remove her from the home, doesn't find out. However, new management is taking over their apartment building and they are becoming more and more insistent about getting into the unit. Darcy's job at the local bookstore allows her to save a bit for college and pay household expenses. While working, she meets cute and broody Asher, who was recently in an accident and lost his ability to fly airplanes. It is through their budding relationship that the two find ways to heal.
This book did try to bring in difficult issues and work through them. However, I didn't really like how the issues manifested through Darcy, probably because I never truly liked Darcy. I was taken in by some of the supporting characters, like the bookseller and his ex-wife, as well as Asher. I think that this toes the line on how it presents hoarders, though, I am not a member of this community, so perhaps it is spot on. I will read more books by this author.
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
sooooo slow to start. also had such a basic plot of ‘bad boy meets good girl’ and it was so predictable and icky.
emotional
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
I enjoyed the way the characters verbalized their inner lives in a way that felt natural and insightful. the dialogue was a joy to read. i liked that a variety of real issues were tackled without being overbearing to the tone of the novel. Laura’s writing has let to leave me disappointed. I’d recommend this to anyone that loves words and strength that they can draw from others that love them too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Addiction, Chronic illness, Grief, Car accident, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Misogyny, Medical content, Stalking
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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