Reviews with content warning for Fatphobia - La casa en el mar más azul

A nice story with a warm feel to it. The message was at points quite heavy handed and more text than subtext. I didn't care for the fatphobia against the protagonist that was brought up unnecessarily again and again by both him and the narrative voice.
I listened to the book. At first I had to get used to the voice actor but having finished the book I think he's a good fit for the protagonist and also has distinct voices for the cast of characters. He did a good job. What sometimes threw me off was how he pronounced certain words. I don't know if that is some kind of accent but I never had heard them pronounced that way. It made it appear as if he has never encountered these words before and didn't bother to check the pronunciation.

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friendly_neighborhood_grandma's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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 loved the narrator!
The story is very wholesome, reminds me of the secret society of irregular witches, maybe even better:)

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soggycedar's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

Not done yet, but don't read this right after Under the Whispering Door (& maybe other books by this author). The story is definitely different, but the books are just too similar. It feels like a recast of the same characters & of course the same writing style. I don't doubt it would be great separately.

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tazemu's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective 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? It's complicated

2.75

very cute magical kids! gay found family romance!

generally enjoyable/sweet but heavily steeped a type of defanged liberal ~diversity and tolerance~ and ~break the system rules but only a little because it can be won over with love~ type messaging that is just...bleh. There's literally a reference to the "Give me your tired and huddled masses..." which 💀 Also a weird fatphobic constant focus on how "round, rotund, bumbling, slovenly, etc etc" Linus is that is played halfway as a self love journey but mostly is strange and distracting?

Overall not a bad book if everything doesn't need to be a Critical Thinking read, but there's plenty here that falls short.

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blakeandbooks's review against another edition

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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

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itsjoenna's review against another edition

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inspiring lighthearted relaxing 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

5.0

I am but paper. Brittle and thin.

i love it. i freaking love it.
throughout the book, i smiled, screamed, laughed, cried, and most importantly i felt warm. this book feels exactly like that, a warm hug.

the children are truly delightful, i especially have a soft spot for Lucy, he's just so fun and unhinged lol i love him so much!!! as for Arthur and Linus, they're... 🫠🫠🫠

“You make me feel like I’m burning up from the inside out.” "You are a fire, and they need to know how you burn."

yup, i think just those 2 quotes alone can explain it all 🫠💗

honestly i was quite busy when i pick up this book, so finishing it took a long time, but i enjoyed it so much. i literally wish it to never end, i just want to keep reading 🥹
i highly recommend it, 5 stars worthy.

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indigoriverboat's review against another edition

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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? No

This book is lighthearted, whimsical and joyful, but it has some pressing societal and moral questions that it addresses too. The characters are charming and lovely. The children bring so much joy and innocence to the story. It’s a romp getting to read about their lives and the tone of the books is both fantastical and hilarious.

If you know much about the real life counterparts to the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, there are some very real horrors that a skirting around this story, which are referred to briefly in the book. As an adult reader with that knowledge the stakes can feel quite high, even knowing that the book ends happily.

I truly enjoyed this read. It would make a great book club discussion.

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toweroflisa's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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? Yes

4.0

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