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allie_deboer's review against another edition
4.0
This book was captivating. The main character being a philosophy lover was quirky and really enjoyable, it added a lot of depth to the story. What will stick with me will be the story of Eugene and the author’s note at the end. I enjoyed a good story and learned a lot.
anarib's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
jennyzreads's review
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
maddyrreads's review against another edition
3.0
Closer to a 2.5/5. It was good but didn’t ever really feel resolved.
soojin12548's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.75
blakeandbooks's review
5.0
I don’t know if I’ll be able to adequately review this book or how much I loved it. There’s a mystery to be solved, and a family desperate for answers. There is so much tension and turmoil throughout the book. Once you believe you love figured out what happened, you’re given a potential hypothesis it slowly begins to slip through your fingers.
I loved every single family member. Kim fleshes out all of them so well and shows how complicated family dynamics are, no matter how close you may feel to one another.
Getting Mia’s POV throughout the book was a great choice, because she knows so much and is able to deduce variables and options for what happened. However, she still doesn’t know what exactly occurred, which allows the reader to follow along and find out what happened with her. As she reads pages from her father’s notebook of the Happiness Quotient, she’s slowly learning more about her dad and what he’s been doing.
Eugene is such a wonderful character and definitely my favorite. He’s so strong and getting to watch him be seen by his parents and siblings was so awesome. Fighting against the constructs of ableism is one that just one family can’t do, but seeing all of them realize how they’ve internally accepted and seen Eugene through an ablest lens and working to fight against that was really great and special to see them come together in that way. I haven’t read any books that have a character with Angelman syndrome, and I had not learned about it since graduate school. I appreciate how much care and research Kim did in order to make this character and book feel so real.
This is an emotionally-charged story filled with mystery, familial love, deconstructing ablest narratives, and fighting for those you love whatever the cost.
I highly recommend this one, friends.
CW: ableism, grief, death of parent, cancer, racism, bullying
I loved every single family member. Kim fleshes out all of them so well and shows how complicated family dynamics are, no matter how close you may feel to one another.
Getting Mia’s POV throughout the book was a great choice, because she knows so much and is able to deduce variables and options for what happened. However, she still doesn’t know what exactly occurred, which allows the reader to follow along and find out what happened with her. As she reads pages from her father’s notebook of the Happiness Quotient, she’s slowly learning more about her dad and what he’s been doing.
Eugene is such a wonderful character and definitely my favorite. He’s so strong and getting to watch him be seen by his parents and siblings was so awesome. Fighting against the constructs of ableism is one that just one family can’t do, but seeing all of them realize how they’ve internally accepted and seen Eugene through an ablest lens and working to fight against that was really great and special to see them come together in that way. I haven’t read any books that have a character with Angelman syndrome, and I had not learned about it since graduate school. I appreciate how much care and research Kim did in order to make this character and book feel so real.
This is an emotionally-charged story filled with mystery, familial love, deconstructing ablest narratives, and fighting for those you love whatever the cost.
I highly recommend this one, friends.
CW: ableism, grief, death of parent, cancer, racism, bullying
woobat's review against another edition
5.0
This was a gripping family drama - with a missing person - but not a mystery or thriller. Of course the missing dad is a big plot driver, but the real question is what Eugene (the non-speaking kid) knew and how he could communicate that.
This is solidly set in early Covid times, which I wasn’t completely ready to dive in to, but I got through it. And the various aspects of Covid (isolation, quarantine, lots of outside time) were definitely critical to the story.
This is solidly set in early Covid times, which I wasn’t completely ready to dive in to, but I got through it. And the various aspects of Covid (isolation, quarantine, lots of outside time) were definitely critical to the story.
sarahmareacarr's review against another edition
2.5
My happiness fell the more I read this. Only finished it cos wanted to know what happened to the dad. Could not stand the protagonist and her boring rambling introspection.
juliaehill's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-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? No
3.75
An informative look into Angelman Syndrome, folded into philosophical debates over what influences happiness, and common prejudices toward those deemed "non-verbal". The mystery of what happened to the narrator's father felt at times like a secondary storyline compared to the neuroses and wanderings of Mia's 20-year-old mind.