beatriks's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.5
I liked this book, it is very well written (a lot of sentences and paragraphes that I highlighted), with lots of wise words. There are quite a bunch of characters that appear around the protagonist, Astrid, and for me, that change of perspective worked well. How everything fell into place and turned out.
I would recommend not stretching out the reading of this book for too long, otherwise you might forget what happened.
My favorite characters were Porter and Cecelia.
I would recommend not stretching out the reading of this book for too long, otherwise you might forget what happened.
My favorite characters were Porter and Cecelia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Infidelity
Moderate: Homophobia, Death of parent, and Transphobia
Minor: Abortion, Infertility, and Gaslighting
thenageler's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy and Infidelity
Minor: Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Miscarriage, Death, Outing, Bullying, Drug use, and Infertility
faraway_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Infidelity, Car accident, Pregnancy, Transphobia, and Infertility
Minor: Abortion, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Drug use
saskiahill's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Death, Infidelity, Car accident, Bullying, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Infertility, Adult/minor relationship, Abortion, Sexual harassment, Lesbophobia, and Miscarriage
Minor: Deadnaming, Outing, Transphobia, and Blood
adoseofcozy's review
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This wasn't supposed to be my first completed book of 2023, but I had to finish it before a book club meeting. So, I sadly had to sit The Priory of the Orange Tree aside so I could focus on this one. I'm sad to say that my first read of 2023 was rather disappointing.
While it does present some great topics, this one just wasn't for me. It was okay, overall, but I had some issues with it. The writing was okay, the story was okay, the characters were okay...everything was just okay. I felt like maybe the issue was that the author was just trying to do too much. I didn't feel like I really knew any of the characters, or connected with any of them. The first bit of the book I was trying to keep all of the characters straight because the book jumps around from one character to another. Also, all of the "adults" were incredibly immature. The most mature character was a 13-year-old girl.
If you like domestic dramas that let you observe the chaos of a dysfunctional family then try this one out, if it sounds interesting. I will say that I probably wouldn't have been able to get through this if I didn't have the audiobook, because I would have wanted to put the book down and not pick it up anymore.
I read this for a book club and the majority though it was just okay or didn't enjoy it at all. I feel like I will forget this story and these characters in a couple of months, if that. Nothing was super memorable for me. It's an entirely character-driven story that will be entirely forgettable for me, unfortunately.
While it does present some great topics, this one just wasn't for me. It was okay, overall, but I had some issues with it. The writing was okay, the story was okay, the characters were okay...everything was just okay. I felt like maybe the issue was that the author was just trying to do too much. I didn't feel like I really knew any of the characters, or connected with any of them. The first bit of the book I was trying to keep all of the characters straight because the book jumps around from one character to another. Also, all of the "adults" were incredibly immature. The most mature character was a 13-year-old girl.
If you like domestic dramas that let you observe the chaos of a dysfunctional family then try this one out, if it sounds interesting. I will say that I probably wouldn't have been able to get through this if I didn't have the audiobook, because I would have wanted to put the book down and not pick it up anymore.
I read this for a book club and the majority though it was just okay or didn't enjoy it at all. I feel like I will forget this story and these characters in a couple of months, if that. Nothing was super memorable for me. It's an entirely character-driven story that will be entirely forgettable for me, unfortunately.
Content Warnings
Minor: Pregnancy, Infidelity, Bullying, Car accident, Abortion, Infertility, and Toxic relationship
klavanger's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book had a very interesting approach to family dynamics that I really enjoyed, especially as the only girl with two brothers. I thought it lacked a really strong ending, however I loved the final chapter and the epilogue!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Lesbophobia, Transphobia, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Dysphoria, Homophobia, and Abortion
Minor: Deadnaming, Drug use, Infertility, and Miscarriage
linesiunderline's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is book that will spring to mind when someone asks me for a recommendation for a family drama. This is all about family, and there is all the drama you could want. Secrets galore, past hurts, layers of love and loss, complicated feelings - all of this mixed up with a reflective and humorous tone that Emma Straub does so well. You feel like you’re getting insight into a certain realm of life experiences, and everyone is imperfect, which is of course Reality, but also very entertaining.
Emma Straub manages a lot in a relatively short novel, and the writing is a pleasure.
Highly recommended on audio. It was breezy and more-ish to listen to.
Emma Straub manages a lot in a relatively short novel, and the writing is a pleasure.
Highly recommended on audio. It was breezy and more-ish to listen to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death, Infidelity, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Dementia, Grief, Homophobia, Infertility, Transphobia, and Sexual content
lauraorourke's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? Yes
5.0
I did not have high expectations for this book. I just found it available as an ebook at my library and I recognized the cover from seeing it displayed prominently in bookstores last year. I knew nothing about it. So it was really fortuitous that I stumbled upon a book I absolutely adored.
This is a book about a family. It is about parenthood. It is about getting older and memories and love and belonging. It is about how our identity grows out of the soil of our family and community, the good and the bad, and how we try to stand on our own but realize we shouldn't have to do it alone. It is about all the transitions of life, which is essentially what growing older is -- one transition after another until we finally transition from life to death. (If you're reading this book, take note of crossings -- the crossing guard, crossing the street... I think that's pointing to this theme of transition).
"Being an adult was like always growing new layers of skin, trying to fool yourself that the bones underneath were different too." (Chapter 35)
This book was absolutely heartwarming. I smiled almost the entire way through. It absolutely had some laugh out loud moments. My eyes teared up a few times while reading like they are now as I reflect on what a beautiful experience reading this book was. There is so much truth written into this book. There was so much about the sibling relationship I related to. The central character, an older woman named Astrid, narrated her chapters with words and phrases I've heard my parents use. This book made me feel like I was going home, and it made me miss home. I've seen some reviews say this is a dysfunctional family, but I don't know. To me, this looked like a real family, with deep love and deep history and everything that entails.
This book showed what diverse families and acceptance can look like better than a a recent book I've read called Every Heart a Doorway. And if you like the movie The Family Stone or the shows Parenthood or Brothers and Sisters, I think you'll love this book. This book has that kind of feel to it. I would highlight some trigger warnings. Notably infidelity, car accident death, the death of a spouse, abortion, sexual assault. Some of these are very minor points, but I expect could be jarring to readers trying to avoid those issues due to their own trauma.
This is a book about a family. It is about parenthood. It is about getting older and memories and love and belonging. It is about how our identity grows out of the soil of our family and community, the good and the bad, and how we try to stand on our own but realize we shouldn't have to do it alone. It is about all the transitions of life, which is essentially what growing older is -- one transition after another until we finally transition from life to death. (If you're reading this book, take note of crossings -- the crossing guard, crossing the street... I think that's pointing to this theme of transition).
"Being an adult was like always growing new layers of skin, trying to fool yourself that the bones underneath were different too." (Chapter 35)
This book was absolutely heartwarming. I smiled almost the entire way through. It absolutely had some laugh out loud moments. My eyes teared up a few times while reading like they are now as I reflect on what a beautiful experience reading this book was. There is so much truth written into this book. There was so much about the sibling relationship I related to. The central character, an older woman named Astrid, narrated her chapters with words and phrases I've heard my parents use. This book made me feel like I was going home, and it made me miss home. I've seen some reviews say this is a dysfunctional family, but I don't know. To me, this looked like a real family, with deep love and deep history and everything that entails.
This book showed what diverse families and acceptance can look like better than a a recent book I've read called Every Heart a Doorway. And if you like the movie The Family Stone or the shows Parenthood or Brothers and Sisters, I think you'll love this book. This book has that kind of feel to it. I would highlight some trigger warnings. Notably infidelity, car accident death, the death of a spouse, abortion, sexual assault. Some of these are very minor points, but I expect could be jarring to readers trying to avoid those issues due to their own trauma.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Cursing, and Sexual content
Minor: Abortion, Sexual assault, and Infertility
leahlovesloslibros's review
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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? Yes
3.5
This is a story about family, friendship, and life. Astrid Strick is the matriarch of a growing family. When she witnesses a school bus accident in the middle of town, it causes her to reflect on the choices she has made with her own children over the years, and to question life in a new way.
I will admit, I was not immediately drawn into this story. I usually don't mind multiple POV, but for the first chunk of this book, I was having a hard time following the story lines. I'm glad I pushed through. Straub had a creative way of weaving characters' lives into each other, not just within the family, but also in the relationships that we see among characters living in a small town. I can relate to this, having grown up in a Midwestern suburb where not many people leave, and often you have the 'everyone knows everyone and their business' feeling.
Another enjoyable aspect of this book was that the author didn't shy away from hard topics. This story delves into many such topics, including but not limited to: homophobia, transphobia, death, death of a parent, grief, infidelity, addiction, infertility, miscarriage, abortion. Some of these topics are mentioned briefly, but many are woven into characters' storylines, which shows their flaws and makes the story more relatable.
If you grew up in a small town, I definitely recommend this read. If you didn't, I still recommend this read. I believe everyone will find someone or something relatable in this book.
I will admit, I was not immediately drawn into this story. I usually don't mind multiple POV, but for the first chunk of this book, I was having a hard time following the story lines. I'm glad I pushed through. Straub had a creative way of weaving characters' lives into each other, not just within the family, but also in the relationships that we see among characters living in a small town. I can relate to this, having grown up in a Midwestern suburb where not many people leave, and often you have the 'everyone knows everyone and their business' feeling.
Another enjoyable aspect of this book was that the author didn't shy away from hard topics. This story delves into many such topics, including but not limited to: homophobia, transphobia, death, death of a parent, grief, infidelity, addiction, infertility, miscarriage, abortion. Some of these topics are mentioned briefly, but many are woven into characters' storylines, which shows their flaws and makes the story more relatable.
If you grew up in a small town, I definitely recommend this read. If you didn't, I still recommend this read. I believe everyone will find someone or something relatable in this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Abortion, Cursing, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Pedophilia, and Sexual content
Minor: Drug use and Miscarriage
There is a brief Harry Potter reference.morganperks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death, and Infidelity
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Deadnaming, Infertility, and Pedophilia
Minor: Abortion, Miscarriage, Medical content, Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Transphobia