directorpurry's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
2.0
crystal_reading's review
3.0
This is a nice book about two families staying at a lake. One is going through a divorce and the other is still recovering from the death of a child.
We see the forming of friendships and how families work through grief when faced with difficulties.
We see the forming of friendships and how families work through grief when faced with difficulties.
mallorykjorgensen's review
4.0
Spencer and Mitch are two boys, each battling their own demons. For Mitch, his troubles lie with his father, who has just left the family for another woman. For Spencer, it is the ghost of his dead brother that “haunts” his family. This is a coming-of-age novel about two neighbors who find comfort in each other’s friendship while discovering what kind of people they want to be.
sandraagee's review
3.0
I really wanted to like this book, and it was definitely well-written. But I just couldn't get into it. I did like how the chapters alternated between Mitch and Spencer's points of view, but I did not really feel like their two stories came together as well as I would have liked. And I didn't think that there was much of a resolution. It's like the two friends went their separate ways, and suddenly things were A-OK. Not horridly satisfying for me. Not completely wretched, but not satisfying.
menfrommarrs's review
3.0
This was an uncomfortable read.
I felt for the two boys, individually, as they dealt with family, death and divorce.
As they spent more time together, I felt afraid for the fragility of their friendship.
And I'm not sure how that turned out.☻
I felt for the two boys, individually, as they dealt with family, death and divorce.
As they spent more time together, I felt afraid for the fragility of their friendship.
And I'm not sure how that turned out.☻
Spoiler
(Did the letter arrive? Did it make a difference?)lazygal's review
3.0
This is one of those very quiet books - not a ton of action, not a ton of emotion (although there is a lot of emotion under the surface), just a simple story.
Mitch's father has moved in with another woman, so Mitch's mom moves them to Bird Lake, where her parents have a house. These are those distant, don't-know-what-to-do-with-kids/don't-really-want-kids-around kind of grandparents, exactly what Mitch doesn't need right now. He starts claiming the decrepit, unlived-in house next door, only to be displaced by the "intruders" (aka "the rightful owners").
The Stone family has a tragedy of its own, the drowning several summers ago of Matty, the oldest son. Spencer thinks that Mitch's attempts to drive them away are the work of Matty's ghost, but ultimately the two become friends and he learns that it was Mitch, not Matty, that did things.
Neither boy seems happy, and neither seem to have any real place that's theirs - their friendship seems more of two lost souls finding one another than anything that could last.
This is a quick read, and I'm afraid that it's not one that's going to stick with the reader for very long; unless, that is, the reader is a youngish boy who's going through something similar.
Mitch's father has moved in with another woman, so Mitch's mom moves them to Bird Lake, where her parents have a house. These are those distant, don't-know-what-to-do-with-kids/don't-really-want-kids-around kind of grandparents, exactly what Mitch doesn't need right now. He starts claiming the decrepit, unlived-in house next door, only to be displaced by the "intruders" (aka "the rightful owners").
The Stone family has a tragedy of its own, the drowning several summers ago of Matty, the oldest son. Spencer thinks that Mitch's attempts to drive them away are the work of Matty's ghost, but ultimately the two become friends and he learns that it was Mitch, not Matty, that did things.
Neither boy seems happy, and neither seem to have any real place that's theirs - their friendship seems more of two lost souls finding one another than anything that could last.
This is a quick read, and I'm afraid that it's not one that's going to stick with the reader for very long; unless, that is, the reader is a youngish boy who's going through something similar.
ryannreads's review
3.0
This story is a moment in time of two boys and their families - Mitch, 12, is dealing with the first changes that come with his parents divorce while living with his grandparents. He longs to live in the house next door and is devasted when the actual owners come to stay. Spencer, 10, is visiting the summer home with his family for the first time since his older brother drowned there ten years before. Beautiful writing and wonderful characters make up this story that spotlights a difficult time in each family and shows elements of hope and healing without tying anything up in a pretty bow.
ps...I listened to the audio version and I enjoyed the voices used by the narrator.
ps...I listened to the audio version and I enjoyed the voices used by the narrator.
abigailbat's review
3.0
Mitch is at the lake because his parents are getting a D-I-V-O-R-C-E and he and his mom are staying with his grandparents while she gets things sorted out. Spencer is at the lake because his brother died there when he was little and his mom wanted to see if she could stand being there again. Each of the boys is dealing with his own problems and they'll come together to form a brief friendship that's exactly what they needed at that moment.
It was fine. Well-written. But kind of boring. Felt kind of timeless, like it could be modern but it could have been 50 years ago.
It was fine. Well-written. But kind of boring. Felt kind of timeless, like it could be modern but it could have been 50 years ago.