ameliaghost 's review for:

When Haru Was Here by Dustin Thao

3.0

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Over all, I thought this was an ok book and I really enjoyed the ending. There are some really interesting concepts that I wish the author had invested more time in such as more scenes with the main characters family, Kevin, and Haru as well as explore how mental heath is affected by grief. Pacing was it was a slow start for me and I walked away from the story multiple times but near the end I felt like the author slapped me in the face and he completely shattered my heart. I guess I really needed a good cry.  Eric as a character was hard to like sometimes especially in the middle of the book, he made questionable choices, had lack luster dialogue, and never seemed to ask the right questions. But, I have to remind myself that he is only 19 and I believe that we don’t really explore the concept of death and deep grief until it happens to us.
 
 The cover artwork is so beautiful and ethereal. I love it