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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
It has been a while since a book has made me so emotional, but this one did it over and over again. The first 100 pages were slow, but then it took off and I couldn't put it down!
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
Content Warnings
Minor: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Outing
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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:
No
3.75*s. Without the dying cat this would have been an almost 5* book, and a rereadable one, too.
As it is, it's still enjoyable, important and worth reading at least once.
However, the presence of the cat fridging trope made me consider the subsequent story with a more critical eye, and I was not impressed much by what I saw in the way the story was structured: It followed very formulaic beats and consequently suffered from oversimplification, which is not a good thing in a book about complex issues and complicated character histories and relationships. I also got the feeling that the author didn't know much about people in their 60's. Or 19-22, either. The perspectives of all of the characters with notable "speaking" parts seemed to be the same or very narrowly similar. That just doesn't happen, not even in very tightly knit families who've spent their entire lives together and had gone through very similar experiences. In this book the experiences are very different, so the similarities in perspective felt especially jarring.
As it is, it's still enjoyable, important and worth reading at least once.
However, the presence of the cat fridging trope made me consider the subsequent story with a more critical eye, and I was not impressed much by what I saw in the way the story was structured: It followed very formulaic beats and consequently suffered from oversimplification, which is not a good thing in a book about complex issues and complicated character histories and relationships. I also got the feeling that the author didn't know much about people in their 60's. Or 19-22, either. The perspectives of all of the characters with notable "speaking" parts seemed to be the same or very narrowly similar. That just doesn't happen, not even in very tightly knit families who've spent their entire lives together and had gone through very similar experiences. In this book the experiences are very different, so the similarities in perspective felt especially jarring.
emotional
hopeful
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:
No
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Romance, happiness, and peace have no age limit. In a world where youth is the gold standard and there is this idea that at some age our lives become less important/worthy, this was a sweet story to remind me otherwise. The heart of the story (a closeted gay man coming out at 65 y/o and looking for his teenage love) is so incredibly sweet and heartwarming. The love story aspect is pretty underdeveloped, but I think the real core of searching for happiness and relearning what it means to be alive was well-crafted and joyful. This was a good audiobook for my drive, as it was low stakes and entertaining.