A review by sakusha
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

It was a lot like Orphan Train because of the subject matter, and how the stories of characters from different times were woven together. It reminded me of Deception Point too, because it was about the daughter of a senator.

I felt that the beginning wasn’t written well. The author didn’t describe the Stafford family, but literally labeled them as stereotypes: Avery the brainiac, her sisters sweet and perfectionist, her mom micromanaging, and her dad distant (14-15). Too much information was given about the grandma all at once (17) when she wan’t even present in the story yet. Avery brushed hair off the seat and wants to smooth her dad’s hair, yet claims on the next page that she doesn’t want to be her dad’s caretaker (16).  It was also annoying and unrealistic that a grown woman was calling her father “daddy” and her mother “honeybee.” Rill’s part of the story was more exciting, tearjerking, and unpredictable to read about, while Avery’s part was cookie cutter. Everyone was a stereotype in Avery’s world, including herself. She predictably fell in love with a perfect guy. One complaint I have about Rill’s story is that her younger sisters Fern and Lark seemed to have no personality that set them apart. I can’t remember their age difference or any difference about them at all.

(All page numbers are from the wide print edition.)
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