Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim

96 reviews

jkeenereads's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Read based on recommendation from SIL.  
I found the subject disturbing but important to address, the ending anticlimactic, and the cursing heavier than I usually read.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing

Moderate: Death of parent and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Rape

greatestheights's review against another edition

emotional informative mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I'm mad at past me for putting this masterpiece off for so long. HAPPINESS FALLS is one of the best books I've read in a long time (and I've read a lot of good books recently). The writing, characterization, voice, and sheer amount of passion poured into this work are phenomenal. I was gripped from the first scene until the last, simultaneously full of rage and heartbreak and gut-wrenching empathy for this family, and especially, Eugene.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Grief, Death of parent, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Cancer

amachonis's review against another edition

emotional informative mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism and Death of parent

Moderate: Bullying, Racism, Suicide, Police brutality, and Grief

Minor: Terminal illness

fancyjess_party's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

szuum's review

emotional mysterious sad tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism and Death of parent

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Rape

mirandalikesbooks's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Enjoyed this a lot! It's a mystery that took me through a whole range of feelings about the narrator and her father. It also has some insightful commentary about privilege and abelism. 

In parts I felt like it could have used an edit. The main character used the word inane/inanity often enough that it was noticeable. I also thought some of the footnotes could have been cut. All in all though would recommend!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent

Minor: Cancer, Rape, Terminal illness, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic

rsagarin's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Hate crime, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Grief

minniepauline's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative mysterious sad tense slow-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

3.0

The story gets bogged down in all of Mia’s/the author’s research, musings and sidetracks. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Racism, Forced institutionalization, and Death of parent

Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Police brutality

mochiheart's review against another edition

inspiring mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book has a lot of interesting things to say about ableism and discrimination, but it unfortunately falls flat for me in two ways: 1) I don't find the narrator to be very likeable. Characters (and especially female characters) don't owe readers likeability, but since this story is already very heavy and emotionally taxing, I would have liked to be able to retreat into a narrator that wasn't so angsty; 2) The story was maybe ~75 pages too long. I feel that a good mystery will make you care more about the journey than the solution, but I found myself getting bored and just wanting to know that happened. Maybe if some parts had been pared down it wouldn't have felt like such a slog to get to the end. But overall it was an enjoyable enough book.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent

evoniere's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Police brutality, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Racism, Rape, War, and Deportation