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jlaz_13's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Terminal illness, and Car accident
Minor: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
kaya1313's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Animal death
fnnbnjmnks's review
- 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
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
m3lwar3's review
- 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
Moderate: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
akswhy's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Chronic illness, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Mental illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Car accident
petra_eller's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Ableism, Cancer, Child death, Death, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Murder
michellesol's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Child death, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
alittlehopeful's review
- 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
4.0
Often, as a reader, I'm searching for a storyline that has me riveted; that keeps me frantically flipping the pages to find out what comes next. This isn't that type of book, and in this instance, that's for the best. Similarly to Klune's other works, it is slower. More heartfelt. It's like a warm hug, or a steaming mug of tea by the fire. Which has a certain irony as the central location of the novel is a tea shop.
This is the type of book to read slowly, and savour, and mull over. It doesn't shy away from difficult topics: losing a loved one, mental health struggles, and trying to become a better person. The quirky and flawed characters made me laugh. And sometimes cry. But in a good way. It holds all my favourite tropes: a beautiful redemption arc, found family, and a happily ever after. Plus, the idea of ghost dog just kept me smiling!
But while I adored the writing, and the underlying concept of this novel, there were some elements that felt very repetitive and similar to one of Klune's other works, the House in the Cerulean Sea. The notion of an ambitious, workaholic, middle-aged white man being fundamentally changed by extraordinary circumstances was almost recycled from this, and undermined the originality of the novel.
That isn't to say that I didn't love it. Because I did. But it is enough in this situation to stop me from rating this as five stars.
Moderate: Child death, Death, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
heddasch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
abijmieds's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Suicide, Torture, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death, Cancer, Chronic illness, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail