aluigiboard 's review for:

When Haru Was Here by Dustin Thao
2.0
emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I don't think that I liked this book. I loved the premise of it, but the plot seemed to not be as advertised. In fact, if Haru was not in the story, I think it could have been a powerful story on grief. I don't think that Haru was even necessary to the plot at a certain point, negating the title of the book.

At some points, I really felt like the book was almost horror-like rather than the romance it was advertised as. I felt like there was a serious case of mental illnesses, but they never really got examined. People appearing like how they did in this book is something I usually see in horror novels, so maybe that is why I am thrown off by this one.