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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
I was given an ARC to review.
This book is brilliantly written. It was a quick read for me and even though there were some heavy, dark topics, the heaviness and the darkness didn't feel overwhelming. Ginny's frustration with the outside world is completely understandable from her perspective.
While I enjoyed this book I kept coming back to the fact that the autistic voice of Ginny was written by a non-autistic person. I'm not 100% sure how I feel about this yet and will probably keep turning it over in my mind as well as looking into what the autistic community is saying about the book
This book is brilliantly written. It was a quick read for me and even though there were some heavy, dark topics, the heaviness and the darkness didn't feel overwhelming. Ginny's frustration with the outside world is completely understandable from her perspective.
While I enjoyed this book I kept coming back to the fact that the autistic voice of Ginny was written by a non-autistic person. I'm not 100% sure how I feel about this yet and will probably keep turning it over in my mind as well as looking into what the autistic community is saying about the book
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse
Minor: Animal death
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
reflective
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
4.5 stars. What a wonderful book. I loved that the author portrayed Ginny as a real person, not as an autistic person. We get to see her doing everyday normal activities like school, playing the flute and basketball practice. But we also get to see her unique thought-processes and emotional issues. Unlike other books with autistic characters, Ginny is not cute and sweet, she is sometimes very difficult to deal with. Her new adoptive parents sometimes struggles to understand and connect with her - a very sad, but authentic situation. Every single character in the book is flawed, and even her abusive birth-mom has redeeming qualities. I will remember Ginny for a very long time - she is such a brave little girl, even though her world is so confusing. Her worries about her baby doll broke my heart. This novel was partially inspired by Ludwig's adoption of a teenager with autism, and that's probably why it feels so genuine. A complex, touching, honest debut novel. One of my favorites for the year.
The Story: We meet 14-year-old Ginny, who has autism, as she settles into life with a new “forever family” and unexpectedly reconnects with Gloria, the abusive, drug-addicted mother from whom she was taken away at the age of nine—and Rick, the father she never knew. The rediscovery unsettles the tentative bond Ginny’s forged with adoptive parents Maura and Brian, exacerbates the teen’s heartbreaking fears for the “baby doll” she left behind, and ultimately triggers a wildly heroic, secret plan to run away to Canada with Gloria and Rick.
The Story: We meet 14-year-old Ginny, who has autism, as she settles into life with a new “forever family” and unexpectedly reconnects with Gloria, the abusive, drug-addicted mother from whom she was taken away at the age of nine—and Rick, the father she never knew. The rediscovery unsettles the tentative bond Ginny’s forged with adoptive parents Maura and Brian, exacerbates the teen’s heartbreaking fears for the “baby doll” she left behind, and ultimately triggers a wildly heroic, secret plan to run away to Canada with Gloria and Rick.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's super easy to read so I flew through it and found myself reading it for hours at a time which I haven't done in a while. I wanted to wring all of the adult's necks in this book because they just wouldn't listen to Ginny. The one thing about this book that I didn't like is Ginny's adoptive mother, Maura. She's completely awful and I found it to be a little non convincing that she's the selfless type of person to adopt a teenager with autism.
Although I don't know anyone with autism I've read that a lot of people with personal experience feel this is a realistic outlook on the behavior of people with autism. The author himself and his wife adopted an autistic teenager which is the inspiration for this book.
This book is funny, heartbreaking and entertaining all at once. There are so many parts in this book that made me want to cry because of how misunderstood autistic people's behaviour is and how poorly they are treated as a result. This book opened my eyes and made me consider the expectations society puts on people.
Benjamin Ludwig does an excellent job of leaving suspense and adventure at the end of every chapter so the reader HAS to keep reading to find out what happens. I'm so glad I own this book and can see myself rereading it in the future.
Although I don't know anyone with autism I've read that a lot of people with personal experience feel this is a realistic outlook on the behavior of people with autism. The author himself and his wife adopted an autistic teenager which is the inspiration for this book.
This book is funny, heartbreaking and entertaining all at once. There are so many parts in this book that made me want to cry because of how misunderstood autistic people's behaviour is and how poorly they are treated as a result. This book opened my eyes and made me consider the expectations society puts on people.
Benjamin Ludwig does an excellent job of leaving suspense and adventure at the end of every chapter so the reader HAS to keep reading to find out what happens. I'm so glad I own this book and can see myself rereading it in the future.
Not the type of book I typically gravitate to, I read Ginny Moon for work and was so pleasantly surprised. The story of an autistic teenager sent through the foster care system who has finally found a family who cares for her, but still can't quite let go of her past. I grew to care deeply for Ginny and rooted for her to find peace and happiness in a world that was unfair to her for so long. This is a book to race through, with complex and well-developed characters and life lessons that will stay with you long after you've finished reading.
This book broke my heart and put it back together again. This is a must-read ❤️