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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
As with Frankel's other books, I like how the mold is broken about what "is normal" or what "is expected". Being human is messy and this story celebrates the mess that is life and all the messy decisions we have to make.
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
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:
No
Wonderful, touching, informative book that helps us remember that all families are valid and that a biological family is not a “real“ family, but rather one form of family that may be functional or not.
emotional
funny
hopeful
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:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
I loved this! It really hit the spot in a moment when I needed some absorbing reading that was fast and fun but also still had emotional depth and meaning. I loved all the windows Laurie Frankel gives us into adoption — all the different vantage points and perspectives, but also the ways each one ripples out; it was lovely to read this as someone who doesn’t have a real personal relationship with adoption myself but has been curious about the layers and complexities of this for all the people it involves and affects. I thought the pacing was really easy and quick; I loved all the characters in this highly-populated book and all the ways each different pair and circle of people interacted. I did question the POV at times — partly, I think, because of the dual timeline, which is a thing I generally love but which sometimes felt a little overly noticeable here; but also because we were navigating so many complex moments from the vantage point of a child (an amazing, intelligent one, but still a child — and sometimes the narratorial omniscience didn’t quite fit with Fig’s age or voice totally, for me). Overall loved this and will for sure read more Laurie Frankel, perhaps on audio since it was definitely light and effusive enough (again despite having lots of beautiful depth! Not a dig!) that it might work excellently on audio.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
emotional
hopeful
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:
Complicated
I was pretty taken by surprise at how much I enjoyed this story. While many parts of this story do not relate to my reality, I found the messages resonated. While all Frankel's books have strong messages, this one really hit for me. I enjoyed every aspect of it, the characters, the emotions, the dialogue, the writing, the plot; it all worked well together for me. It also had some sweet moments I couldn't help but chuckle at. I found myself rooting for the characters, and while predicable, it felt comforting. I really enjoyed the audio, Murin did a great job at giving each character a voice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Stalking, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Addiction, Bullying, Cursing, Grief