thebakerbookworm's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.5
I ended up liking this one a lot more than I thought I would. It starts off slow, and stays pretty slow-paced the whole time, but these characters snuck into my mind and wrapped themselves around my heart and whispered sweet things in my ear until I fell in love and couldn't stop thinking about them and only wanted them to be happy and loved.
This book doesn't hold back from the harsh realities of the foster care system, but it still manages to end on a hopeful and optimistic note, if not necessarily a "happy ending." Not everything is resolved, but it felt more realistic that way. The story doesn't shy away from the trauma that these kids have experienced, though I appreciated that the book wasn't gratuitous in its depictions of the trauma. I've listed content warnings below, but most of these things happen off page and are briefly described by characters; the details aren't dwelt on. The author does have a "show not tell" approach but instead of showing us the trauma in great detail she shows us the effect that trauma has on these kids—through a thought left unfinished, a question unanswered, a glance shared between characters, a surge of anger, a mother too scared to leave her house, a little girl climbing into her foster sister's bed to sleep every night.
I also liked how, though these kids have finally landed in a "good" foster family, they still struggle with how to think of their biological parents and what they left them. One child is half Native American, another is half Jewish, and they wrestle with relating to these cultures that seem to have left them behind. And that age-old question of nature vs. nurture is discussed as well.
Overall a story with great characters that we get to see grow up over ten years. Only reason it didn't get five stars from me was because I thought some of the time transitions could have been handled better—I got confused a few times with how old characters were supposed to be. But I will definitely remember this book.
This book doesn't hold back from the harsh realities of the foster care system, but it still manages to end on a hopeful and optimistic note, if not necessarily a "happy ending." Not everything is resolved, but it felt more realistic that way. The story doesn't shy away from the trauma that these kids have experienced, though I appreciated that the book wasn't gratuitous in its depictions of the trauma. I've listed content warnings below, but most of these things happen off page and are briefly described by characters; the details aren't dwelt on. The author does have a "show not tell" approach but instead of showing us the trauma in great detail she shows us the effect that trauma has on these kids—through a thought left unfinished, a question unanswered, a glance shared between characters, a surge of anger, a mother too scared to leave her house, a little girl climbing into her foster sister's bed to sleep every night.
I also liked how, though these kids have finally landed in a "good" foster family, they still struggle with how to think of their biological parents and what they left them. One child is half Native American, another is half Jewish, and they wrestle with relating to these cultures that seem to have left them behind. And that age-old question of nature vs. nurture is discussed as well.
Overall a story with great characters that we get to see grow up over ten years. Only reason it didn't get five stars from me was because I thought some of the time transitions could have been handled better—I got confused a few times with how old characters were supposed to be. But I will definitely remember this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Physical abuse
Minor: Cursing, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Stalking, Suicide attempt, and War
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