sofiaoh 's review for:

Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman

3.0

emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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the first few chapters i was CONVINCED this was gonna be a five-star read but it went a bit downhill from there. i actually really liked most of the side characters, and rumi (though a bit unlikable) was a complex and interesting character. however, the plot got a bit repetitive towards the middle with the same constant, exhausting thing happening over and over again. i get thats the point of the book — dealing with grief is non-linear, complicated, messy, ugly, and exhausting — but to me it was hampering the story which i saw (and still see) so much potential in. there were pockets of really great and insightful scenes, but from the middle onwards i feel like the focus of the book was lost, with the same repetitive, formulaic conflict happening in almost every chapter.