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A review by baldmarlin
Wider Than the Sky by Katherine Rothschild
3.0
I'm not always called to write an actual review for a book, but god I truly wish I could have liked this book better. The author has so much potential and if this is their debut, I can't wait to see what they release in the future. The dialog snapped and the story flew by that I didn't want to put it down! Once the revelations came out, it made for a more interesting story between the sisters.
Sabine and Blythe lose their dad to a very sudden illness and there's a mystery man that appears in the hospital room minutes after the fact. Turns out, Sabine, Blythe, and their mom are packing up their lives and moving away to the Bay Area. Turns out (x2), the mystery man and the father were in a relationship that was actually a poly relationship with the mom and the dad died of AIDS.
I feel like all of the storylines could have been handled a little bit better with a little more research. The implication of the dad being a stereotypical bisexual man who fought for a poly relationship against the true wishes of his partners and being promiscuous/contracting HIV wasn't explored in the best way. Hiding everything from the kids until a good portion of the book went by was also A Choice.
My big thing for characters in novels is communication. The mom moves the entire family away from the only life they've lived with no actual explanation. The family moves into a run down mansion in the middle of a renovation with no explanation. The sisters have to deal with someone from the Homeowner's Association handing out fines because the renovations aren't going about the "right way" WITH NO EXPLANATION.
And the insta-love was just cringy. Sabine is the most selfish MC I've read in a long time. That all being said, I truly want to read more from this author.
Sabine and Blythe lose their dad to a very sudden illness and there's a mystery man that appears in the hospital room minutes after the fact. Turns out, Sabine, Blythe, and their mom are packing up their lives and moving away to the Bay Area. Turns out (x2), the mystery man and the father were in a relationship that was actually a poly relationship with the mom and the dad died of AIDS.
I feel like all of the storylines could have been handled a little bit better with a little more research. The implication of the dad being a stereotypical bisexual man who fought for a poly relationship against the true wishes of his partners and being promiscuous/contracting HIV wasn't explored in the best way. Hiding everything from the kids until a good portion of the book went by was also A Choice.
My big thing for characters in novels is communication. The mom moves the entire family away from the only life they've lived with no actual explanation. The family moves into a run down mansion in the middle of a renovation with no explanation. The sisters have to deal with someone from the Homeowner's Association handing out fines because the renovations aren't going about the "right way" WITH NO EXPLANATION.
And the insta-love was just cringy. Sabine is the most selfish MC I've read in a long time. That all being said, I truly want to read more from this author.