Scan barcode
staylorreads's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Addiction, Death, Grief, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Sexual assault, Stalking, Physical abuse, and Violence
em_hudson03101's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Death of parent, and Violence
raptorq's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Mental illness, and Death of parent
Minor: Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, and Child death
chimichannika's review
challenging
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This book was really quite good and ended on a beautifully hopeful&optimistic note, made all the more meaningful because of all that the characters had been through in their lives, but a HEAVY disclaimer to proceed with extreme caution if you are a survivor of domestic abuse, child abuse, sexual assault, or have religious trauma, as this book does heavily deal with those themes.
The premise of the book—without giving specific spoilers—, in the end, is people with varying kinds of horrible pasts living next to each other, by chance, and making this charming corner of the world a better place through their gradually deepening bonds of friendship and camaraderie. It ends on a hopeful note, and is truly about the love permeating throughout, but it does extensively handle those potentially-triggering/retraumatizing topics, at length, for multiple portions of the book.
I still consider it a good book, but would only recommend it to specific people with specific disclaimers, and also a note to please care for your own well-being if any of those topics can be especially triggering or distressing. I’m off to go seek out some comfort media because I physically reacted to the way some of the content triggered me, and need to go un-tense my muscles now.
And yet, the book had portions of charming and sleepy loveliness in it too, the way the characters began forming this “group of misfits” was so sweet, and the last couple chapters were so satisfying, showing where the characters were at now.
One other thing— I mentioned in the content warnings section a brief description of animal violence— the animal is okay, it survives, is loved, and treated very well after it’s rescued. just wanted to note that the animal is more-than-okay ♡
The premise of the book—without giving specific spoilers—, in the end, is people with varying kinds of horrible pasts living next to each other, by chance, and making this charming corner of the world a better place through their gradually deepening bonds of friendship and camaraderie. It ends on a hopeful note, and is truly about the love permeating throughout, but it does extensively handle those potentially-triggering/retraumatizing topics, at length, for multiple portions of the book.
I still consider it a good book, but would only recommend it to specific people with specific disclaimers, and also a note to please care for your own well-being if any of those topics can be especially triggering or distressing. I’m off to go seek out some comfort media because I physically reacted to the way some of the content triggered me, and need to go un-tense my muscles now.
And yet, the book had portions of charming and sleepy loveliness in it too, the way the characters began forming this “group of misfits” was so sweet, and the last couple chapters were so satisfying, showing where the characters were at now.
One other thing— I mentioned in the content warnings section a brief description of animal violence— the animal is okay, it survives, is loved, and treated very well after it’s rescued. just wanted to note that the animal is more-than-okay ♡
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Child abuse
Moderate: Violence, Sexual assault, Child death, Sexual violence, Child abuse, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal cruelty, Stalking, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, and Drug abuse
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
sharkgirl45's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Addiction, Grief, Mental illness, Drug abuse, and Death of parent
cassielaj's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.5
A lot happened in this book without a lot happening, if that makes sense. I normally love a literary character exploration, except I felt that there were so many characters with dramatic things happening to them that each one didn’t get the attention they deserved. That being said, I would’ve read a whole novel dedicated to any one of the characters — they were definitely intriguing. I loved the ghost element and the way the story dealt with grief. I think there were a lot of strengths here, it just didn’t all come together for me. by the time the twist happened at the end, there were only 50 or so pages left and it felt like a rush to the end
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Religious bigotry and Violence
kcup21's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A must read when you need to see some light in the dark and learn to let go of what’s holding you in place.
This was a cozy read with just a dash of magic. I loved the found family and the characters I grew to really love and root for. The book moved at a slow pace and spent time showing what each character had to carry with them. By the end, I felt at peace with the decisions the characters made and where the story ended.
This was a cozy read with just a dash of magic. I loved the found family and the characters I grew to really love and root for. The book moved at a slow pace and spent time showing what each character had to carry with them. By the end, I felt at peace with the decisions the characters made and where the story ended.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Child abuse
Minor: Violence
kekepania's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
The plot and POVs are interesting, and there's a nice sprinkling of magical...ness. However, it just gets sad. You're not left really feeling happy for anyone. Just....relieved they could maybe be happy in the future? Warning that there is a lot of mentions of suspected breaks in, which could make a reader feel uneasy or triggered. (Doors found open, hearing a front know rattling, etc)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Addiction
Minor: Violence
fn2902's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Abandonment, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Addiction, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Car accident and Death
Minor: Sexual content, Violence, Confinement, and Stalking