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A review by typesetjez
See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles
5.0
I have never been more emotionally invested (or emotionally exhausted) in a book. I feel inclined to give it 5 stars simply because it made me cry and I can count on my fingers the number of times that happened, but, in reality, this book deserves 5 stars for so many other reasons.
When I first starting reading this book, I thought it was going to be purely about Fern dealing with her brother Holden coming out, and I wanted to give it to every young sibling of an LGBTQ teen. I feel we often forget about the younger siblings who are trying to understand what's happening, and I'm happy to have this book available to them. Then I read further and this book broke my heart into a million pieces and I thought maybe I shouldn't give it to just any kid because it would hurt them, but the thing is, this book is amazing because of that. I can give it to younger siblings of LGBTQ kids, and I can give it to kids who have lost siblings (younger or older), and I can give it to kids who feel invisible in their families. This book is not only well-written, but it's important. It's important because it gives a voice to those younger siblings, to those grieving siblings, to those middle siblings who feel lost.
I did cry. I did feel emotionally exhausted (somewhere around the 2/3rds mark). But I did feel hope, for Fern and for Holden, for Sara especially, for this family in general, and for the generation of middle schoolers reading this book. This provides a wonderful new perspective that is both optimistic and realistic about families dealing with LGBTQ issues and families dealing with grief over losing a child. Additionally, you see Fern growing up and dealing with middle school, with trying to stay friends with Cassie while knowing that her crush and Fern's best friend, Ran, likes Fern. It's about accepting things the way they are and learning how to become stronger in the face of unspeakable adversity.
My only complaint in this book is that many times Charlie seemed to act older than his age. I think that was an issue with the writing where the author wanted him to act old enough to be deeply involved and independent, but young enough to make a major impact. This small thing, however, takes nothing away from the beauty and gravitas of this very engaging, very important book.
My 10-year-old sister read this last year, almost solely due to the fact that her school librarian had put it behind the desk, saying only fifth graders could check it out. That makes me mad, because this book should never be limited, but at the same time, I understand that a grade school library might not even carry it in the first place, and that it really does belong to middle grade fiction and in junior highs. Furthermore, I'm reading it for my YA class and while the writing is firmly JFIC, and Fern is only starting sixth grade (one year below the YA range), I hope this book is available to high schoolers, as well. I think there are many things to learn from this book, and many things that can help a teen through difficult times. I don't think age is a huge factor here. I am more than twice Fern's age and I still loved this book and identified with her. I hope other older readers will, too, alongside the readers for whom this book was written.
When I first starting reading this book, I thought it was going to be purely about Fern dealing with her brother Holden coming out, and I wanted to give it to every young sibling of an LGBTQ teen. I feel we often forget about the younger siblings who are trying to understand what's happening, and I'm happy to have this book available to them. Then I read further and this book broke my heart into a million pieces and I thought maybe I shouldn't give it to just any kid because it would hurt them, but the thing is, this book is amazing because of that. I can give it to younger siblings of LGBTQ kids, and I can give it to kids who have lost siblings (younger or older), and I can give it to kids who feel invisible in their families. This book is not only well-written, but it's important. It's important because it gives a voice to those younger siblings, to those grieving siblings, to those middle siblings who feel lost.
I did cry. I did feel emotionally exhausted (somewhere around the 2/3rds mark). But I did feel hope, for Fern and for Holden, for Sara especially, for this family in general, and for the generation of middle schoolers reading this book. This provides a wonderful new perspective that is both optimistic and realistic about families dealing with LGBTQ issues and families dealing with grief over losing a child. Additionally, you see Fern growing up and dealing with middle school, with trying to stay friends with Cassie while knowing that her crush and Fern's best friend, Ran, likes Fern. It's about accepting things the way they are and learning how to become stronger in the face of unspeakable adversity.
My only complaint in this book is that many times Charlie seemed to act older than his age. I think that was an issue with the writing where the author wanted him to act old enough to be deeply involved and independent, but young enough to make a major impact. This small thing, however, takes nothing away from the beauty and gravitas of this very engaging, very important book.
My 10-year-old sister read this last year, almost solely due to the fact that her school librarian had put it behind the desk, saying only fifth graders could check it out. That makes me mad, because this book should never be limited, but at the same time, I understand that a grade school library might not even carry it in the first place, and that it really does belong to middle grade fiction and in junior highs. Furthermore, I'm reading it for my YA class and while the writing is firmly JFIC, and Fern is only starting sixth grade (one year below the YA range), I hope this book is available to high schoolers, as well. I think there are many things to learn from this book, and many things that can help a teen through difficult times. I don't think age is a huge factor here. I am more than twice Fern's age and I still loved this book and identified with her. I hope other older readers will, too, alongside the readers for whom this book was written.