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lisettemarie's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Gun violence, Terminal illness, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder
extraaardvark's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
sassyykassie's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent
that_bookish_life's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
An emotionally driven story about three people dealing with grief and loss in different ways who benefit from opening to others.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Gun violence, and Kidnapping
rensach's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Death
Minor: Gun violence
amandalorianxo's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
<strong>I have a newfound appreciation for cardinals</strong>
This book creeps on you (not in a spooky or weird way) but in the soft build up of three seemingly different people who interconnect and teach us that there are multiple forms of love & heart ache. You learn that even though each character has lot someone, hope has not left them. It’s a wonderful sophomore novel and I’m looking forward to more from Mr. Joella. My only critique would be I would have liked a tiny nod of what direction Kiki takes with a certain person but minus that- this is worth the read.
This book creeps on you (not in a spooky or weird way) but in the soft build up of three seemingly different people who interconnect and teach us that there are multiple forms of love & heart ache. You learn that even though each character has lot someone, hope has not left them. It’s a wonderful sophomore novel and I’m looking forward to more from Mr. Joella. My only critique would be I would have liked a tiny nod of what direction Kiki takes with a certain person but minus that- this is worth the read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Kidnapping
ulviyyask's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder
rollinsad's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
A Quiet Life by Ethan Joella was the first book I read of Joella’s. It wasn’t on my radar until last week when I heard a bookish podcaster gush about it and describe it as a family and community story of contemporary fiction. I picked this book through my Book of the Month Subscription last year, but it has sat on the shelf since then. I loved this book and now plan to read Joella’s first book, A Little Hope, next.
The book follows Chuck, who recently lost his wife to cancer, Ella whose daughter has been taken by her ex-husband and not heard from in months, and Kirsten, who recently tragically lost her father and altered her career plans as they cope with their situations. We learn they are all connected in one way or another and we begin to explore how people find peace after loss and how people can move on and heal through these circumstances.
I am a sucker for these family books of contemporary fiction. Not to mention that both of Joella’s books have stunning covers. This book was well-written. It is driven mainly by character development, which I love. I would compare this book to books like Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro and Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout.
5 Stars
Content Warnings: Death, Cancer, Kidnapping, Trauma, Murder
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Kidnapping, and Murder
karyan1's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
thenecessarysalamander's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Kidnapping
Moderate: Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment