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rover_under's review
hopeful
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
It was a charming book. I enjoyed the setting and grew to like the characters, but I feel like by the end of the book everything felt a little underdeveloped. A lot is said about the history of Mallow Island and and the characters' backstories, but I feel like there just weren't enough moments of the characters experiencing things in the present to really connect with them.
It felt expository at points and I think with a book with such an emphasis on the scenery and sense of place, it would have been nice to explore it a bit more or have a few more characters outside the Dellawisp residents to add vibrancy of the narrative.
I would have liked to have seen more of the characters bonding, overcoming shared obstacles, and doing things together so I could have felt more convinced by the ending, where the characters are very close and refer to each other as their family. Their challenges felt very individual for the most part, and it wasn't until a few moments near the end that the characters helped each other address their mutual struggles.
I liked that certain characters had secrets or things that they only shared with one other character, like Charlotte and Mac revealing their pasts', but I felt like something to unite the whole group, including Fraiser, was missing.
The magical realism elements didn't go as far as I would have liked, but that's a personal preference. Overall a cozy book that I felt could have had a bit more meat on it when it came to the story and the setting.
It felt expository at points and I think with a book with such an emphasis on the scenery and sense of place, it would have been nice to explore it a bit more or have a few more characters outside the Dellawisp residents to add vibrancy of the narrative.
I liked that certain characters had secrets or things that they only shared with one other character, like Charlotte and Mac revealing their pasts', but I felt like something to unite the whole group, including Fraiser, was missing.
The magical realism elements didn't go as far as I would have liked, but that's a personal preference. Overall a cozy book that I felt could have had a bit more meat on it when it came to the story and the setting.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Toxic relationship
eliya's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
3.0
I spent 9h 47m reading this book.
The whole time I was reading I was trying to figure out what this book was going to be. There was so much backstory and set up, it seemed, that I wasn’t sure when the book, or “real” story, would begin. It caught me off guard when I realized the point of the book, and it was kind of relaxing. This isn’t a particularly exciting book or anything, this is a very healing book.
I just lost my father about two months ago and it’s been hard to let go. I’m glad I read this book when I did.
Now, the actual book was weird. The point was lovely— there was a very odd antihomelessness theme throughout the book. The island that they live on has heavy patrols for people sleeping anywhere but inside a house & none of the characters bay an eye about it. The author tries to do this like “I remember poverty… it was rough” thing with a couple of the characters and it doesn’t land, it just reads as empty, really. I think she could have dived deeper and given detail instead of vague “what was probably abuse” description.
I feel bad for Lizbeth honestly. I think she and Lucy should have had a larger part of the story. You have Lizbeth and her diaries and we’re waiting for this big ball to drop (no pun intended) at the end when someone finally reads her diaries, but it, again, falls flat on delivery.
I’m glad the loose ends were tied up, but the package was a lot smaller than it made itself out to be. Cute book, glad I read it, good for grief. Nice to fat people and not weird about weight lol.
The whole time I was reading I was trying to figure out what this book was going to be. There was so much backstory and set up, it seemed, that I wasn’t sure when the book, or “real” story, would begin. It caught me off guard when I realized the point of the book, and it was kind of relaxing. This isn’t a particularly exciting book or anything, this is a very healing book.
Now, the actual book was weird. The point was lovely— there was a very odd antihomelessness theme throughout the book. The island that they live on has heavy patrols for people sleeping anywhere but inside a house & none of the characters bay an eye about it. The author tries to do this like “I remember poverty… it was rough” thing with a couple of the characters and it doesn’t land, it just reads as empty, really. I think she could have dived deeper and given detail instead of vague “what was probably abuse” description.
I feel bad for Lizbeth honestly. I think she and Lucy should have had a larger part of the story. You have Lizbeth and her diaries and we’re waiting for this big ball to drop (no pun intended) at the end when someone finally reads her diaries, but it, again, falls flat on delivery.
I’m glad the loose ends were tied up, but the package was a lot smaller than it made itself out to be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Violence, Addiction, Death of parent, Stalking, Forced institutionalization, Death, Toxic relationship, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Racism, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Classism, Pregnancy, and Emotional abuse
redbirdreading's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Drug use, Addiction, Death of parent, Death, and Toxic relationship
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