Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim

80 reviews

jjones2208's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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smagzisreading's review

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dark emotional inspiring 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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murve's review against another edition

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4.25

I enjoyed the mix of mystery/thriller and social commentary, especially with how much Covid affected everyone in this story. It was satisfying to see all the pieces of this story finally come together, although I wish
it had a happier ending. :(


Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
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maidinnah's review against another edition

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

4.5

Cerebral, smart, and thought-provoking, Happiness Falls asks you to challenge your ingrained biases, reflect on the power of language, think about our need for closure, and ponder the meaning of happiness, all while slowing unfurling the mystery of a father’s disappearance. Mia’s presumptive and know-it-all attitude can be grating at times, especially since she’s the narrator. Additionally, this is a book that plays with a lot of ideas and ends with some open plot points, which may be unsatisfying to some readers. However, I was very invested in the Parksons, learning about who they are and how they feel about each other, especially Eugene, the non-speaking autistic youngest son, whose plight is as central to the story as the mystery. 
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melodyseestrees's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

There are so many frustrating elements to this story, especially the ending. The character motivations seemingly make sense but the character actions do not necessarily match up quite right. There are many questions in the latter half of the book but don't hold your breath and wait for all the answers.
Mia goes 'eh, I don't care to know' and erases any evidence that was on her presumed deceased father's phone.
The end pacing also did not match up with how the rest of the story had been. A good portion of the dialogue around Eugene felt microaggression level ableist at best, though the surprise therapist at the end had the best dialogue with Eugene. Perhaps this is realistic but something about it felt off. This led to the rating falling from the expected 4 to a 3.25.
The edition I had did 'footnote' information in a jarring and disruptive way to the reading experience. Some whole pages had maybe a paragraph of information to them in an italicized font that was frustrating to read. These thoughts of Mia's surely could have been worked into the actual text as a mark of who she is as a person. 
There were a few characters who appeared, did maybe two actions, and then disappeared never to be seen again
looking at you unhinged lady in the park with pepper spray and supposedly existing band of teenage boys
. There were plot beats that were dropped.
We saw hints and part of the lead officer having seemingly faked one or two injuries in previous cases but this played very little in the hearing against Eugene for hurting her.
The notebook revealing that Mia's father was running experiments on his family, having no exploration done into it. Was he really just writing notes to himself? Was he writing a paper? Was he as unhinged as park pepper spray lady? We'll never know!
The police, having access to the same information as Mia not putting together the unlock code, as all of that info came from the notebook they were scanning and sending to Mia. Can police even do that during an active investigation?
Harmonee's backstory being sort of explained despite her having very little to do with the story. The perspective of familial trauma given was interesting but never really led anywhere. One could argue that whole history didn't need to be spelled out since it amounted to John was special cuz he looked white, Mia was treated like she was dumb because she didn't look white, Eugene witnessed a death firsthand, John and Mia learned how to whisper yell.

This book felt like it was trying to fit several stories into one- Harmonee's story, Mia's dad's story, Eugene's story, and Mia's memoir.
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lindseybkoehler's review

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

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skbat's review

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challenging emotional mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

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kotletka_polina's review

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.25

It was not what I expected. This book leaned more towards literally fiction despite the premise being set as a thriller/mystery. The open ending is very anticlimactic giving that the resolution seemed so close.
But I liked this book. Even though it has too much yapping at times, I really sympathised with the characters, feeling what they were feeling at that moment: rage and infuriation at their fathers’s secrets, nervousness and suspicion with each new peace of information revealed. I even found the narrator relatable somehow.
Even though it’s not the vibe I expected to get I still pretty much enjoyed it. Read the entire book in a couple of sittings without getting tired of complicated vocabulary (English isn’t my first language). It brings awareness to numerous important subjects and highlights issues I hadn’t paid enough attention before. I liked this book more than I expected. 
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sparklefarm's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I love discovering new-to-me authors and loving them immediately. This was an excellent read - I was hooked and in suspense from the get-go. Philosophical, tense, and personal - not a mix I expected, but one I really enjoyed. The author's note was meaningful (although upon reflection made some of the philosophizing and reflection within the work a bit heavy-handed, although I don't know that I really minded). Highly recommend.
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madisus's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

4.0

I really enjoyed this book, and loved the thematic focus on language and communication. Some elements were a miss for me, but overall I loved Mia’s analytical POV and her insights and reflections on her own family and the community at large. This is the second book I’ve read this year set during COVID lockdown— Kim utilizes this as an active participant in the mystery, to great effect. General paranoia, lack of contact, and danger of illness all play a role in how this story unfolds. 
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