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bookcheshirecat's review against another edition
3.5
“I'm learning that it's good to think about what scares you. To bring it into the light. Even to hold it in your hands, if you can, and feel how it can't hurt you anymore. To think of it and say, 'I am not afraid.”
➽ Watch Over Me is another haunting story by Nina LaCour who writes melancholy and healing so well. We follow Mila, who just aged out of the foster system and is invited to intern as a teaching assistant at a remote farm. I really liked the setting as it's isolated and haunted by ghosts that Mila has been able to see since she was little. The magical realism element fits well into the story and the author's writing style. Mila has been through a lot before she ended up in the foster system and it's slowly coming to light the longer she stays at the farm. I loved the themes of healing from trauma and confronting your personal ghosts. Mila isn't used to belonging anywhere so the farm is her chance at finding a place and family of her own. I especially liked the bond she had with Lee, a young boy who is her only student so far. He's also been through a lot and Mila is determined to help him heal from that.
➽ I only wish the story had been longer and more fleshed out. Apart from Lee, most characters felt one-dimensional and we didn't get to know them as well. The other adopted children didn't have any personality. There was more potential in the story and with more time we could have used that to deepen the story. Aspects like Mila's relationship with Liz and Lee were underdeveloped and not really resolved.
Graphic: Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, and Emotional abuse
ash_ton's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Abandonment, Blood, and Death
Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Medical content, Car accident, and Panic attacks/disorders
paytonnmoore's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
lady_bountiful's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Abandonment, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse
stories's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Gaslighting
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, and Death
katerodger's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Death
aidrielle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Blood, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Panic attacks/disorders
michaela999's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Grief, and Emotional abuse
karapillar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Blood, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Sexual content
imstephtacular's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Classism, Blood, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Panic attacks/disorders, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Gaslighting
Minor: Physical abuse, Violence, Alcohol, Cursing, and Sexual assault