A review by astoriareader
Happiness Falls by Angie Kim

emotional mysterious reflective 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

4.0

SYNOPSIS
  • One morning, Adam goes missing. Adam took Eugene, his teenage son with a dual diagnosis of autism and Angelman’s syndrome, to the park, and Adam never returned home. Rather, Eugene returned home by himself, and he’s in a bit of an unusual state. Due to Eugene’s condition, he is nonverbal, and he has some motor difficulties as well. Thus, the family cannot simply ask what happened.
  • The remainder of the Korean American family consists of two college-aged twins, Mia and John, and the mother/wife.
  • What happened to Adam? Did Eugene have anything to do with it?

MY THOUGHTS
  • This was pretty good overall. 
  • It is told from Mia’s perspective, which I enjoyed.
  • This felt less like a thriller to me, and it was more a thought-provoking, contemporary fiction & about family. All the family members slowly start to really understand each other.
  • There were some parts that dragged a bit, and in my opinion, it could’ve been trimmed down a bit.
  • I enjoyed how the book challenges readers to defy the notion that lack of verbal communication skills means someone is not intelligent. I liked seeing a nonverbal character, Eugene, shown to have so much more to him than the world, including his own family, has given him credit for over the last 14 years.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️worthwhile read & a great one to discuss with others. 

Thanks to Random House Publishing and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is out now.
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