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lydiasturges's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
abigailbat's review
3.0
Hollis Woods knows that she will never stay in one place for long. She stays for awhile and then she runs. But all that changes when she spends one summer with the Old Man and Steven and Izzy. She finally feels what it's like to belong, to be a family. But then something messes it all up, and Hollis knows she can't ever go back.
The story flips between the present (Hollis being placed in foster care with a retired art teacher who is slowly losing her mind) and the past (Hollis's pictures of times spent with her summer family). I loved the flashback parts, seeing Hollis happy with a family. The present parts were a bit hard to take. Hollis is determined to make it work with her new foster parent, but the lady is not even able to take care of herself half the time.
Readalike suggestions: For more about spunky foster kids, try The Great Gilly Hopkins or The Same Stuff as Stars by Katherine Paterson and Home and Other Big, Fat Lies by Jill Wolfson.
The story flips between the present (Hollis being placed in foster care with a retired art teacher who is slowly losing her mind) and the past (Hollis's pictures of times spent with her summer family). I loved the flashback parts, seeing Hollis happy with a family. The present parts were a bit hard to take. Hollis is determined to make it work with her new foster parent, but the lady is not even able to take care of herself half the time.
Readalike suggestions: For more about spunky foster kids, try The Great Gilly Hopkins or The Same Stuff as Stars by Katherine Paterson and Home and Other Big, Fat Lies by Jill Wolfson.
herroicj's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
czoltak's review
4.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 Stars
This story was so heartwarming and beautiful. I absolutely love Hollis Woods as a character and am so glad she got the happy ending she deserved. I think this book does a great job of showing, especially younger audiences, how difficult the foster system can be. I wish I had read this when I was younger because I think I would have even more love for it and I know it’s a story my younger self would have truly enjoyed and held close.
This story was so heartwarming and beautiful. I absolutely love Hollis Woods as a character and am so glad she got the happy ending she deserved. I think this book does a great job of showing, especially younger audiences, how difficult the foster system can be. I wish I had read this when I was younger because I think I would have even more love for it and I know it’s a story my younger self would have truly enjoyed and held close.
dnyameke's review against another edition
4.0
This was super cute. She just wanted to belong and I wanted to adopt her myself. Cute.