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annorabrady'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
5.0
Finishing this book was hard because I both wanted to know how it ended and loathed the idea of it being over. I appreciate the twists in the story and how earned they felt. They didn't exist for cleverness or because of lazy writing, they existed because the characters made decisions that warranted them.
The cast of characters was truly wonderful. Their antics and their support of each other are equally valuable. The questions they pose and the answes they offer are healing. And even the minor characters have a presence many main characters in other books never reach.
I will say that there are some hard storylines for those who have experienced different kinds of trauma. But as someone who's lost family and friends to similar circumstances, I value the care given to these stories. And, as someone who lost their mom just over 6 months ago, I will say that this isn't something that's too heavy. At least it wasn't for me.
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
tiernanhunter'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
5.0
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Animal death, Cancer, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, and Murder
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Chronic illness, Drug use, Mental illness, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
erebus53'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
4.0
What happens when an utter jerk falls down dead and nobody cares? It sounds like the setup for an off-colour joke but that is the basic premise of this book. This is a redemption story that I haven't seen the like of since, The Good Place. It's not quite as funny, but definitely moving in places.
This story had me in tears from about chapter 17. In some ways I felt a bit like I was being played. There were corny asides and comedic beats (because who doesn't love an irreverent ghost dog that ghost-pees on oblivious mean people)
interwoven with the hard sob-stories, passionate regrets, rage, and loss, and failure, and grief. It felt like these hard emotions were all pulled out into the light like boxes of old photos long hidden under the bed. *cough*crying? not me.. NO... just allergic to uhm, dust *sniffle*
The characters in the story are of diverse ethnicity, and that's a Thing.. it does affect their lives, but is not the hook of who they are, so I think that was quite considerately managed. They are also of diverse ages, and that makes things a little more interesting. There is a definite LGBT thing that, from looking at comments from other readers, is not picked up by many readers until later in the plot. Although it's cute (and Narrator, Kirt Graves, makes the tea-shop owner, Hugo sound like a Black Keanu Reeves) it feels like some of the character development and friendship-building is a little hurried along. I felt like the man we meet at the start of the book is unredeemable, and yet Klune metaphorically scales a seemingly insurmountable wall, attempting to do just that. This is a story that tells of a world where God, as humans conceive of it, is not an accurate depiction of how the universe runs, but there are "powers that be".
This story has an author's content warning on the start of the book. It does deal with death, and suicide, and a bunch of really hard topics. That makes it feel like a bit of a therapy piece (the line "you're not my Therapist!" comes up a few times). It's a fun book if you feel like you can wade into some really emotional topics, and have a spare box of tissues handy.
Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Confinement and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Infidelity, Sexual content, and Cannibalism
tamara_joy'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
4.0
Graphic: Death and Grief
Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, and Death of parent
empower'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
5.0
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Mental illness
Minor: Cancer, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, and Murder
augustar14's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A beautifully written story about life, but particularly what comes after. How we cope with the impact our lives had on others, and how grief impacts each person differently. About letting go, holding on, and the steps in between. You won't love Wallace at first, but by the end I think you might feel differently. I certainly did. And it's probably worth keeping a tissue box nearby.
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Murder, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal death, Sexual content, and War
diana_raquel'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
4.75
T.J. Klune is rapidly becoming one of my favorite authors. I loved this story! I didn't know what to expect from this story but I wasn't expecting a deep story about life, death, grief, and change. However, at the same time, I should be expecting a deep story. In every book that I have read by this author, there is always some deepness to the story.
The characters are interesting, well-written, and well-developed. I really loved them and the fact that the cast is diverse (with good representation), which is always a good point in my book. However, the only reason that I have for not giving a 5-star rating to this book is that I think that the pacing is a little unbalanced. I think that there are some places in the story where the pacing became faster than it should. But, overall, is a solid narrative.
I strongly recommend this book.
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Suicide, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting
Minor: Confinement, Cursing, Gore, and Abandonment
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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Death, Suicide, and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Mental illness, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
izypup'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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Misogyny, Racism, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
kyrstin_p1989'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Terminal illness, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail