Reviews

This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel

bibliobrandie's review against another edition

5.0

I loved this book.

hikeplayski's review against another edition

4.0

This book was really lovely. Sometimes the edges were a little too soft for me - the realities of the harsh realities were not quite believable. Maybe - it was too eloquent? Seems unfair, but that's how I felt :-).

jbabiarz's review against another edition

5.0

Really liked this book. Started off a little slow for me but then I couldn’t put it down.

akvolcano's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

thealexarachelle's review against another edition

5.0

This book is a nice guide. I loved it. I truly appreciated it. A great perspective.

slflorence99's review against another edition

5.0

This was a 4.5 for me. Such a heartfelt rendering of the muddy waters we wade through as parents while we strive to do what's best for our kiddos.

emilyb_chicago's review against another edition

5.0

I loved this book. I loved learning about the family. I identified with the mother and felt empathy for the kids. Or maybe identified isn't exactly right - I want to be that kind of mother... I want to have a witty come back for every tough situation, I want to be the kind of mom my kids confide in, and I want to be a person who takes big risks to make sure my loved ones are safe. I did think some of the reactions were unreasonably strong, but in real life I've definitely over reacted to things and liked the reality it brought to the characters. I found this story un-put-downable. Like most books recommended to me, I didn't read the summary and had no idea of any plot points.

This addresses the part of the book which is in the summary, but I didn't know and would have found it a spoiler:

Spoiler

I did think that while the whole transition to Claude was dealt with very lovingly at home. However the hiding/secrecy of the family mid way through the book was not really dealt with as I would have liked.

zer0spaceghost's review

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

leannecoppola's review against another edition

5.0

Eye opening and a wonderful story of a transgender child and a family.

davidcottington's review against another edition

3.0

I’m not sure I was obsessed with the audiobook but I liked the over-all story.