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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
This was very cute and tender. I think I would’ve preferred it to be a bit shorter. Maybe I’m just cynic but I think the relationship came out of nowhere. The group spends so much time together building relationships and then it’s like, ALSO they’re in love!! Solid read overall.
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
emotional
hopeful
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:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
sad
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
This book was one of the most surprising for me of the year so far. What starts as a cute little ditty about what comes next when life is through quickly becomes a heart-wrenching tale of found family and making the best of whatever time is given to you. This book made me laugh, it made me cry, of course it's a 5/5 and I'd recommend this book to almost anyone
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Murder
Given this book is about death, one should go into it knowing that sensitive topics will be discussed, including the thoughts of a suicide and murder victim. The topics are handled with sensitivity, and the book is still well worth it, but still approach in the right headspace.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
When someone dies, they become a ghost and a Reaper appears to bring them to a ferryman. The ghost stays with the ferryman until they accept their passing and choose to move on to Heaven or whatever. Our protagonist Wallace dies of a heart attack and Mei, a Reaper, brings him to Charon's Crossing Tea and Treats, where the ferryman, Hugo, lives and works. Wallace stays there, processes his life and death, and perhaps... finds love?
I hated this book. Maybe it's just not my genre - I don't really go in for "cozy" books, or romance in general, but I hated every page of this book. I would've put it down immediately, except I was invited to a book club by someone I want to befriend and this was the assigned reading.
I barely know where to start, so I'm going to list my complaints below. Spoilers throughout
1) Wallace sucks.
The opening chapters are devoted to making the reader hate Wallace. We're beaten over the head with his unlikability. He is cartoonishly evil, a lawyer who ruins people's lives without remorse. He is cartoonishly stupid, falling for pranks that belong in a Disney Channel TV show. He is bitter, angry, selfish, cruel, and demanding. He has zero redeeming qualities, and he never gains any. He doesn't face meaningful consequences or learn important lessons. Nothing makes him realize what he did wrong. He doesn't become a better man - after living in the tea shop for a week or so, he simply is a better man. At the end of the book, he tries to get his receptionist rehired and her daughter's scholarship restored. That's a great step, I just wish it had happened earlier.
2) The silliness.
You'd think that a book marketed to adults, a book about death and the journey to becoming a better man, would have some gravity. No. This book is full of humor - Nelson tricks Wallace into doing a funny dance! Wallace accidentally magicks himself into a bikini! Multiple people sexually harass Hugo! (Yeah, that's played for laughs too.) Maybe the author meant for this story to be lighthearted, but instead it's childish and - unforgivably - not even funny.
3) The racism.
Wallace is a white man. The most important side characters are Mei, a Chinese-American woman, and Hugo and Nelson, two Black men. They are kind, humble, and down-to-earth. Their jobs, in-universe and as narrative tools, are to spout wisdom, comfort, and support the white main character.
4) The preachiness.
Everyone talks like a therapist and the moral of the story is repeated constantly. We are inundated with platitudes. It's okay to be scared. It's important to help people. You can always be better than you were. It's repeated, textually, multiple times in every chapter. It's exhausting and any impact the words would have is lost in the absolute boredom of reading the same thing for the twentieth time.
5) The previous Reaper.
Two big conflicts in this story are caused by a non-character who existed before the start of the narrative. He was a cruel person who abused the people in his care and our characters tried their best to stop him. We never see him. What is the use of a nonexistent antagonist?
6) Alan.
Alan is a murder victim who comes to Charon's Crossing. He's traumatized, scared, and angry, which is understandable, considering he was just stabbed to death. He screams and he throws things. He's rude and angry and sullen. Wallace was the exact same. But Alan is treated like an irrational asshole whereas Wallace was handled with care, and Wallace gets a happy ending while Alan gets forced through the door by the Manager. I'd like to read Alan's book instead.
7) The Manager.
The Manager is just silly. Stupid name for a literal death god. The attempt at making him scary and capricious didn't land. I read all of his dialogue in Griffin Mcelroy's voice.
8) Misogyny
It's a bad look to have a single female character in your ensemble, especially when she's a hothead that the men constantly have to "handle" because she's sooo violent. The background female characters are: a straight woman who sexually harasses Hugo, an ex-wife, and a grieving mother.
I will probably add on to this later. I hated this book.
I hated this book. Maybe it's just not my genre - I don't really go in for "cozy" books, or romance in general, but I hated every page of this book. I would've put it down immediately, except I was invited to a book club by someone I want to befriend and this was the assigned reading.
I barely know where to start, so I'm going to list my complaints below. Spoilers throughout
The opening chapters are devoted to making the reader hate Wallace. We're beaten over the head with his unlikability. He is cartoonishly evil, a lawyer who ruins people's lives without remorse. He is cartoonishly stupid, falling for pranks that belong in a Disney Channel TV show. He is bitter, angry, selfish, cruel, and demanding. He has zero redeeming qualities, and he never gains any. He doesn't face meaningful consequences or learn important lessons. Nothing makes him realize what he did wrong. He doesn't become a better man - after living in the tea shop for a week or so, he simply is a better man. At the end of the book, he tries to get his receptionist rehired and her daughter's scholarship restored. That's a great step, I just wish it had happened earlier.
2) The silliness.
You'd think that a book marketed to adults, a book about death and the journey to becoming a better man, would have some gravity. No. This book is full of humor - Nelson tricks Wallace into doing a funny dance! Wallace accidentally magicks himself into a bikini! Multiple people sexually harass Hugo! (Yeah, that's played for laughs too.) Maybe the author meant for this story to be lighthearted, but instead it's childish and - unforgivably - not even funny.
3) The racism.
Wallace is a white man. The most important side characters are Mei, a Chinese-American woman, and Hugo and Nelson, two Black men. They are kind, humble, and down-to-earth. Their jobs, in-universe and as narrative tools, are to spout wisdom, comfort, and support the white main character.
4) The preachiness.
Everyone talks like a therapist and the moral of the story is repeated constantly. We are inundated with platitudes. It's okay to be scared. It's important to help people. You can always be better than you were. It's repeated, textually, multiple times in every chapter. It's exhausting and any impact the words would have is lost in the absolute boredom of reading the same thing for the twentieth time.
5) The previous Reaper.
Two big conflicts in this story are caused by a non-character who existed before the start of the narrative. He was a cruel person who abused the people in his care and our characters tried their best to stop him. We never see him. What is the use of a nonexistent antagonist?
6) Alan.
Alan is a murder victim who comes to Charon's Crossing. He's traumatized, scared, and angry, which is understandable, considering he was just stabbed to death. He screams and he throws things. He's rude and angry and sullen. Wallace was the exact same. But Alan is treated like an irrational asshole whereas Wallace was handled with care, and Wallace gets a happy ending while Alan gets forced through the door by the Manager. I'd like to read Alan's book instead.
7) The Manager.
The Manager is just silly. Stupid name for a literal death god. The attempt at making him scary and capricious didn't land. I read all of his dialogue in Griffin Mcelroy's voice.
8) Misogyny
It's a bad look to have a single female character in your ensemble, especially when she's a hothead that the men constantly have to "handle" because she's sooo violent. The background female characters are: a straight woman who sexually harasses Hugo, an ex-wife, and a grieving mother.
I will probably add on to this later. I hated this book.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
This book was so beautiful an exploration of grief and living your life to the fullest and family and what's important. The main charcater arc was crazy. I adpre everything t j klune writes. The story was so well put together. I will try to read everything hes ever written. The world is so vivid and I feel like I know the characters. Stunning
hopeful
reflective
sad
Un libro espectacular, bien escrito, una narrativa cuidada al detalle. Es una lectura agradable y entretenido