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seraphiina's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
a_e_f's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, Car accident, and Alcohol
snipinfool's review
dark
emotional
reflective
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
4.0
The Farraday twins, Zach and Mia, had two loving parents and few struggles in life. Lexi Baill had a very different childhood. She spent much of her life in the foster care system until her high school years when a great aunt had been found who was happy to have Lexi live with her. Lexi knew the first day of high school would be hard. She had been the new kid many times. Mia had one difficulty in her life. She found it hard to make friends she could trust. Mia and Lexi met each other during lunch when Lexi saw Mia eating alone. They realized they had things in common and became friends. Because Zach and Mia did most things together, Lexi was his friend as well. Throughout their high school years, Zach, Mia, and Lexi were together often. Jude, Mia’s and Zach’s mother, took Mia under her wing and happily included her in events that a mother would normally do. The kids’ senior year brought new and exciting changes. College, potentially leaving home, and possibly admitting a crush one had carried for years were things they thought about. A tragedy changed everything in an instant and altered any plans they had made.
This was a hard review to write. So much happened in this book from multiple points of view. I could understand where each person was coming from after the tragedy. I didn’t agree with some of the choices made, but I understood them. I was so angry with Jude. As a mother, I felt she grossly overstepped boundaries. Miles, the twins’ father, was very patient and loved his family very much. I was impressed with his devotion. I don’t want to spoil the book by discussing the teens, but what happened was heartbreaking and sobering. Kristin Hannah had to have spent a great amount of time thinking about how each person was affected and her words brought the story straight to the reader’s heart. I could not help thinking how I would have reacted. Would I have remained sane or clear-headed? This was another one of Ms. Hannah’s beautifully crafted stories.
This was a hard review to write. So much happened in this book from multiple points of view. I could understand where each person was coming from after the tragedy. I didn’t agree with some of the choices made, but I understood them. I was so angry with Jude. As a mother, I felt she grossly overstepped boundaries. Miles, the twins’ father, was very patient and loved his family very much. I was impressed with his devotion. I don’t want to spoil the book by discussing the teens, but what happened was heartbreaking and sobering. Kristin Hannah had to have spent a great amount of time thinking about how each person was affected and her words brought the story straight to the reader’s heart. I could not help thinking how I would have reacted. Would I have remained sane or clear-headed? This was another one of Ms. Hannah’s beautifully crafted stories.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Grief, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Abandonment
steens0728's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I always enjoy a Kristin Hannah read. Her writing style and her storytelling abilities really reel you in and make you feel all the feels. For me, I enjoyed this book. I could tell from the beginning that I knew the story, but even so, I was captivated by it. You really felt torn and conflicted about Lexi- she came from a broken family but was an all around endearing person, who made a tragic mistake. She was hard to love, but you felt for her given her hardships. You can almost say the same about Jude. Her love and dedication for her kids was so admirable, but almost to a fault, but her grief and agony were so real and justified. It almost made you angry how angry and sad she was, but it all makes sense. Loss is never easy, especially of a child. It started out a little slow, but it picked up and really developed into a great story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Car accident, and Alcohol
randeerebecca's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, Car accident, and Alcohol
elizabethww's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Grief, Car accident, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Drug abuse and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Emotional abuse
brin3543's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
4.25
Another Kristin Hannah novel that moved me to tears and had my heart aching for the characters. The ending felt extremely rushed but still overall enjoyed this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Grief
Moderate: Death
natbaggett's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Grief, and Car accident
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Abandonment
erica_reads_things's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-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? It's complicated
3.0
This was not my favorite Kristin Hannah book that I've read, but it was a solid "pretty okay". I really loved the story of the 3 friends far more than I enjoyed the added narrative of the mom. I really did not like or empathize with her character until the last 30 pages. The way she was set up in the first half of the book just did not bode well for me to relate or make her choices after tragedy make sense. The end was also wrapped up incredibly quickly for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, Car accident, and Alcohol
Moderate: Medical content and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
charmiecm's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I just read a Coleen Hoover book with the exact same plot young girl wracked with guilt over an ACCIDENT goes to jail not knowing she’s pregnant, has the baby, gives it up, gets out and decides maybe it was a mistake. It’s starting to feel like a trope. And why is it always a girl? Just…unimpressive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Confinement, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Car accident, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism