Reviews

this book was incredible. celeste ng has a way with words that always makes me amazed every. single. time.

i loved the book but didn’t connect with it the same way i did with everything i never told you, and since i don’t do half stars, this is going to be a 4 stars for me

sporadicreader99's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious tense 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

3.75

aaronfromkansas's review against another edition

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2.0

Maybe it just wasn’t for me, but I started out interested and by the end felt pretty disappointed. There are some really fun parallels and interesting characters here, but the story becomes more cliched as we move along. Opening by beginning at the end is never my favorite move in a piece of fiction, but I shrugged it off and figured that the narration would get interesting later. It never really blew me away but the only real disappointment came from the rabbithole of Mia’s backstory. I didn’t need that. I was okay with this mysterious hippie mom. It seemed like more of a detour from the story than an extension of the Richardson family saga. This book began with Izzy burning down a house, but apart from the frustratingly shallow jock brother, Trip, she’s the least discussed character. And strangely enough, the ending acts like she’s been the most important this whole time. What? She’s going to go live with Mia and Pearl? She and Pearl barely know each other. The ending also glosses over the fact that Izzy’s going to be homeless in New York, and that Bebe and Mei Ling will be homeless in China. Where, in this novel set in the 90s, is that Runaway Train song when you need it? Additionally, the packet of art that Mia left behind felt like it was resolving conflicts that never happened, especially with regards to Trip and Bill. I would have much rather read about Mia taking the time to create that art than getting it mostly at the end.

brian_finch's review against another edition

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3.0

The fire seems to be incidental to the story. Take it away, and this books reads the same.

I loved the first half of this book, it introduces some interesting characters. I was completely on board. But as the book progressed it continued to introduce more and more characters and left the characters I began to identify with by the wayside.

Perhaps I was expecting too much, since this book had been so hyped. I enjoyed it, but I wanted to love it.

lupercalia's review against another edition

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3.0

книга о женщинах в разных возрастах и ипостасях, и очень добротно написано, но чересчур, просто невыносимо для меня, сентиментальная

hlford22's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

cl456's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
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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