Reviews

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim

jbrooks124's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective 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? Yes

3.0

At first, Mia didn't think anything was wrong. Sure, it was strange (at best) that her brother Eugene, with the dual diagnoses of autism and Angelman's syndrome, has run home from the park without her father. Why wouldn't Dad come home with Eugene, as he always has? It's probably a misunderstanding, a lost phone or Eugene ran off so Dad is still looking for him, believing him to be lost. But as more information is uncovered, it's clear that something has happened. Did Dad leave them? Was he hurt? Worse, was Eugene (accidentally or otherwise) the perpetrator? Heightened by the fact that this story takes place during the early days of COVID-19, with everyone isolating, this story follows the sudden and unexpected disappearance of a parent who has always been at the center of the family's day-to-day lives.

The concept of this book was so interesting, with great focus on alternative means of communication for a child who is unable to vocalize and has limited fine motor skills due to his disorders. What knocked this book down a * for me was the narrator's (Mia's) voice. One of her character flaws is that she constantly believes herself to be smart, smarter than, making considerations that surely no one else has thought of, totally ignoring the fact that her mother has a PhD and her twin's fatal flaw is apparently being too kind/positive. While there were times I would have agreed with her stance, her delivery was unkind. I will note, it was mentioned at one point that she too could have been on the spectrum, but it was never confirmed, and I felt like she just frequently was unkind to her family. Even her Dad, who wasn't present to defend himself. An actual attempt at redemption of these flaws would have been nice, instead of just saying she would do better and then continuing on her path.

_caroline's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

catarina_xavier's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

4.0

caitgiam's review against another edition

mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

misswired's review against another edition

medium-paced

4.25

jeri's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

jkwriting24's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

4.0

mrscdaugherty's review against another edition

4.0

I loved the writing style in this book (if you don't mind side notes you will too). I really enjoyed this book until the last few chapters where the mystery was simply solved without any twists or turns. It was just "expected". However, if you look at this book in a different light, examining the character development of Eugene, his struggles and accomplishments, and how that impacts the family, it really is a great book. Does it have a happy ending, no not really. Is it extremely exciting and awing, also no. However, really thinking about the underlying themes in this book made it more enjoyable and entertaining for me.

ohilucy's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective tense 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

4.75

elvsg's review against another edition

hopeful 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? Yes

4.0