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the_true_monroe's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? Yes
4.0
This was a very fast paced book focused largely on healing and moving forward on an individual level (from the perspective of the narrator) and on a family level. I enjoyed it a lot with my favorite character being the cat.
There was one prevalent issue that has my rating at a 4 star and it is something that I noticed originally from another review when I was earlier in the book- but it would have become apparent on my own. Over 15 years ago Natalie’s siblings Lynn and Jake were sentenced to jail time as a result of illicit drug use which resulted in the death of their close friend. Natalie had been the person who called the cops both out of anger but also since Lynn really did hurt herself. The friend took his own life after realizing the cops were called.
Below this point has some minor spoilers.
Natalie is blamed for ALL of it. Even her mom does not talk to her for those 15 years, and her mom’s death is what leads to the premise of the book as she wants to bring the three siblings back together. Those sympathetic to her mention it having been an “honest mistake”. Everything is about forgiving Natalie, not addressing that even though she “rat” them out that she did not set them up for anything- they were adults who honestly had Natalie in a dangerous situation. Lynn and Jake later react incredulously when Natalie did not call the cops during a time when it was absolutely critical to, due to all of that trauma of last time she called.
While that did bother me, I really enjoyed the combination of drama, romance, nerdiness and a bit of mystery. It was a great read.
There was one prevalent issue that has my rating at a 4 star and it is something that I noticed originally from another review when I was earlier in the book- but it would have become apparent on my own. Over 15 years ago Natalie’s siblings Lynn and Jake were sentenced to jail time as a result of illicit drug use which resulted in the death of their close friend. Natalie had been the person who called the cops both out of anger but also since Lynn really did hurt herself. The friend took his own life after realizing the cops were called.
Below this point has some minor spoilers.
Natalie is blamed for ALL of it. Even her mom does not talk to her for those 15 years, and her mom’s death is what leads to the premise of the book as she wants to bring the three siblings back together. Those sympathetic to her mention it having been an “honest mistake”. Everything is about forgiving Natalie, not addressing that even though she “rat” them out that she did not set them up for anything- they were adults who honestly had Natalie in a dangerous situation. Lynn and Jake later react incredulously when Natalie did not call the cops during a time when it was absolutely critical to, due to all of that trauma of last time she called.
While that did bother me, I really enjoyed the combination of drama, romance, nerdiness and a bit of mystery. It was a great read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Suicide, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Confinement and Terminal illness
erebus53's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
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
4.25
I picked up this one as a Big Library Read book. Libby sets things up so there are unlimited library eCopies of the book to download digitally (including Audiobook versions). Looking at the cover I presumed it might be pretty corny, but I was pleasantly surprised.
I was surprised to find myself as the target audience. The main character is a woman who has been settling for much of her life and has never chased up on her passion projects. She has allowed her partner to belittle her efforts and has fallen into a rut where it is normal for him to be the controlling partner in her life. When 2 life changing influences coincidentally shake her life up, she is given the headspace to reassess what she is doing with her life.
The main character is someone who is interested in drawing biological specimens. I vibed with her whole habit of finding cool minibeasts or bits of broken animal and wanting to keep records of them. FOR SCIENCE! I deeply identified with the feeling of having others disgusted by the objects of your fascination, wanting to get pictures of dead birds' feet, and also the problem of having baby mantises accidentally hatch in your bedroom.. or.. all over your bedroom.
This is also a story of family reconciliation. Getting an estranged family back together again as part of a family bequest makes this an inheritance story with some cool twists. It's got a lot more trauma than I was expecting. The sister is a kick-ass goth who is a trained mortician. I think I can see a theme in the way this family works.
Didn't really expect it to be so focused on romance though. I found the development of friendships and relationships in the story so captivating that I forgot to stop the book.. and then found I had oopsed a 1-day-read. Uhm.. yes I quite liked this one.
I was surprised to find myself as the target audience. The main character is a woman who has been settling for much of her life and has never chased up on her passion projects. She has allowed her partner to belittle her efforts and has fallen into a rut where it is normal for him to be the controlling partner in her life. When 2 life changing influences coincidentally shake her life up, she is given the headspace to reassess what she is doing with her life.
The main character is someone who is interested in drawing biological specimens. I vibed with her whole habit of finding cool minibeasts or bits of broken animal and wanting to keep records of them. FOR SCIENCE! I deeply identified with the feeling of having others disgusted by the objects of your fascination, wanting to get pictures of dead birds' feet, and also the problem of having baby mantises accidentally hatch in your bedroom.. or.. all over your bedroom.
This is also a story of family reconciliation. Getting an estranged family back together again as part of a family bequest makes this an inheritance story with some cool twists. It's got a lot more trauma than I was expecting. The sister is a kick-ass goth who is a trained mortician. I think I can see a theme in the way this family works.
Didn't really expect it to be so focused on romance though. I found the development of friendships and relationships in the story so captivating that I forgot to stop the book.. and then found I had oopsed a 1-day-read. Uhm.. yes I quite liked this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Vomit
dev921's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
meganpbennett's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
A Very Typical Family was chosen as the latest Big Library Read, and it looked interested, so I gave it a chance. It's realistic fiction, which is a genre I'm not usually a fan of, and it didn't change my mind. It was well-written, the characters were interesting, and the backstory involving the youngest sibling sending the brother and sister to prison is rather unique.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, and Abandonment
Moderate: Cancer and Death of parent
kjbreads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Grief, and Death of parent
fkshg8465's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
3.75
The romance was very cheesy, but I have a weakness for Latin men too, so it was east for me to get over. The rest of it was a feel good Hallmark movie waiting to happen, and today, that’s just what I needed (minus some of the darker themes supporting the plot).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Violence, Grief, and Death of parent
overthinkereading's review against another edition
3.5
“Was she messy and weird? Maybe a little.”
Was this book messy and weird? Maybe a little? But aren’t we all? And I think THAT is the big takeaway from this book. For as much as the Walker family is atypical, they highlight how EVERY family has its dramas, its misunderstandings, its griefs, and (hopefully) its opportunities to heal. THAT is what makes them “very typical.”
I read this novel as part of the #BigLibraryRead and mostly enjoyed it (especially Penguin, A Very Typical Cat), but would have appreciated more overt content warning for the on-page hard drug use and domestic assault. The author did a great job of immersing us in the MC’s perspective, even if that perspective left me screaming, “Girl, go to THERAPY!” more often than not. 😉
CW: DV (on page), drug use and overdose (on page), parental death, underemployment, harassment by former partner, family of origin trauma, incarceration, descriptions of dead animals.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, and Drug use
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent