Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Little Monsters

Long Story Short: Told through five perspectives, a complicated family spends the spring and summer of 2016 planning a 70th birthday party for their patriarch, Adam Gardner. As Adam focuses on one last discovery to cap off his career as an oceanographer, his children, Ken and Abby, work on birthday gifts for their father, his daughter-in-law, Jenny, plans the event, and a newcomer, Steph, works her way into the group.

Anne Bogel (Modern Mrs. Darcy), a go-to when I'm in need of a recommendation, named this one of her favorite audiobooks of 2023, so I'm disappointed to say I was not impressed. I don't rate books lower because of unlikable characters, but to review this without mentioning how absolutely insufferable the characters are would be an injustice. The novel starts with Adam - unreliable narrator at best, chauvinistic and pretentious Boomer at worst. Then there's Ken, the "rich, white man with anger issues and political aspirations" trope. Abby is the opposite side of the spectrum but no better, as she stands on her feminist soapbox while simultaneously sleeping with another woman's husband (her non-belief in marriage/"traditional relationships" is the reason they aren't together, of course). Jenny was a rebel in college but vowed to be the submissive good girl when her mother died. Finally there's Steph, who may be the only redeeming main character of the bunch (possibly because she's the only one with a real problem, but I digress), yet is still somehow a stereotype. Every character is a caricature, including the secondary players. Steph's wife doesn't say anything that isn't about astrology. Tessa (one of Ken and Jenny's twins), is a brazen tomboy, while her sister Franny is more "developed" and ladylike. David only cares about sex; Jenny's dad only cares about money. George, the only overweight character, is constantly described by what he's eating and what crumbs are on his belly. Even in the out-of-character moments - Ken caring about beach erosion, for example - the conclusion finds its way back to the trope - e.g. Ken screaming at a tourist couple because he "owns the beach" and thinks he's better than them.

Character flaws aside, this novel is aggressively 2016. The Clinton v Trump presidential election starts as a talking point for the men to mention their hatred of women (both Adam and Ken would prefer Bernie Sanders despite not appearing to have any of the same ideals as the failed candidate). Focus on the election reaches a crescendo by the final meeting of the characters - a new family member's birth is scheduled early so that it will occur on election day. Peppered throughout are the smaller pop culture references, like the paraphrased, "Ew, anything but Taylor Swift," comment from one of the twins (probably Tessa). Considering the summer of 2016 is when #TaylorSwiftIsOverParty was trending, this seemingly throwaway line would have been incredibly relevant at the time. That a group of women-supporting-women characters would not support Taylor Swift while singing the praises of Hilary Clinton is an odd choice, especially since any pop star could have been used in place of Swift. The author's forceful nature to Make Sure You Know This Is 2016 is overdone in these and other moments.

All the while, what you really need to know as a reader is left to vague acknowledgments and fade-to-black scenes that reveal nothing and leave everything to the imagination. No one comes out of the other side having resolved anything, nor have they really tried. I can concede this is the nature of life, but what a cop out for a novel that supposedly "simmers with tension as secrets explode out into the open."

One final grievance (though I have many more): Tessa and Franny are not written like 12-year-olds. If there wasn't constant mention of their age, you'd think they were closer to 14/15.

Enjoyment: 2/5
Craft: 3/5
Overall: 2.5/5

Content Warnings

acresofclams's review

Go to review page

dark hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Content Warnings

demanda's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

Content Warnings

amberjackonski's review

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Content Warnings

astoriareader's review

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

SYNOPSIS:

This story is about the Gardner family in Cape Cod. Adam, Ken, & Abby are a family of three, as Emily unexpectedly passed when Abby was born.
Adam, the father, is nearing his 70th birthday. He is a well-known scientist / oceanographer, and he loves humpback whales. As he nears retirement, he is trying to have one final “breakthrough” to feel relevant and useful again. He, however, has bipolar disorder, and he has purposefully been messing with his dosages in his pursuit to achieve the perfect mania state to make a breakthrough.
Ken and Abby, the siblings, are adults now. Ken is married to Abby’s best friend, and he had two twin girls. He only cares about money and success, and he is a jerk. He has done well in business, and he hopes to get into politics. On the flip side, Abby is an artist, and she is very talented. She has a dog, and she lives in her art studio.
Another main character is Steph, who believes she may be Adam’s daughter, and she is there for the summer to learn more about her new family members .

MY THOUGHTS

Well-written story + good character development
Family drama with complex relationships set in Cape Cod
Medium pacing
Ahhh, I couldn’t handle Ken’s character. He was awful, but the author did write the character well. In fact, the author did a great job portraying many male characters in the book. Many have troubling attitudes toward women.
One of my favorite things about the book was the contrast between the men and the women. The men act entitled, emotionally stunted, misogynistic, and lacking. The women, particularly Abby & Steph, act capable, emotionally mature, smart, & resilient.
The exploration of an aging father’s inability to emotionally connect with his kids was fascinating, too.
There are some triggering topics that are revealed in the plot, so I would recommend looking up triggers if you are trying to avoid anything in particular.
I enjoyed the vivid descriptions, and I was able to picture the setting.
The ending was pretty abrupt, and I was disappointed that some things were left unresolved. I would have liked more of a resolution with Adam’s mental health & a confrontation between Ken and Abby. For that reason, I am giving this one 4 stars, instead of 5.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️family drama with complex relationships in Cape Cod. overall, really enjoyed it, but ending was abrupt.

Content Warnings

laurenabeth's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Adrienne Brodeur’s writing is some of my favorite modern style, and while Little Monsters is captivating and thoughtful, I found the end to be just a bit abrupt. I was hoping for more resolution with Adam’s mental health and with the rift between siblings, but ultimately I suppose that isn’t the point of the book. Adrienne Brodeur, in general, seems to write about how the nature of love is ugly and complicated, and this book absolutely captures that. I’d recommend this, but give a strong trigger warning for mental health disorders and abuse.

Content Warnings

kellimartin22's review

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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

I loved how this asked the question: what if we didn’t have to accept our families the way they are, especially if that family isn’t treating you well? The setup of the months leading up to the 2016 election was a genius way to call attention to the very stark contrast between the male and female characters here; I thought this was executed perfectly. Each character’s POV was so well-done and, unlike many books with multiple POVs, no character felt flat or like they were just there to serve the plot. One of my favorite reads this year.

Content Warnings

gondorgirl's review

Go to review page

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

More...